Old African Yaka Tribe Mukhanda Tudor Mask Male Initiation Ceremony Congo Africa - $700 - (Williams, OR)
This is a large, antique, African Yaka tribe, handmade Mukhanda ceremonial mask.One of the most important yearly ceremonies for the Yaka people of Africa is the Mukhanda ceremony which celebrates the finalizing of the tribes young boy's educational period and their initiation into adulthood. Mukhanda, includes circumcision which is a crucial part of Yaka life. The initiates wear masks made specifically for their ceremony which are used only once and they are referred to as Kholuka and their designs can vary greatly. The young boy's teacher or tutor wears a zoomorphic mask called Mpakasa during the ceremonial dance.This antique African Yaka mask was collected in the Congo and was made by the Yaka people. It is amazingly constructed of a carved wooden face plate with a handle coming out of the bottom with a bent reed frame covered in a layer of jungle leaves which is the tightly fitted with a cloth covering which is handpainted with red, white, blue and black pigments. The lower wooden face plate is painted with white, red and blue pigment and the base of the mask all the way around is decorated with raffia. This Yaka mask is in great condition with a little wear to the paint especially a patch on the center of the face, surface patina, and dings in the wood on the tips of the ears. Also, the jungle leaves and reeds this mask is made of were smoked over a fire so the mask has a slight smoky smell.This large Yaka mask not including the raffia measures 27 inches tall by 12 inches wide. Including the raffia this mask measures 30 inches long by 21 inches wide. This is a large item and due to the constructed plant fiber and cloth aspect of this mask it will need to be shipped with a lot of padding in a large box with insurance which is reflected in the shipping fees.This is an amazing African Yaka mask worthy of adding to any African art collection.
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From ebay.com - 1 month ago