File:0756 6278c Brown mask with hair, Punu, Gabon (5602532754).jpg

This mask is a fine and unusual example of the Punu black masks or ikwara-mokulu or night mask beautifully adorned with its tower style headdress to which hair has been glued in similar style to the coiffure worn among the Tsongo flanked by braids tucked behind the ears.

The dark coating is made from crushed seeds mixed with palm oil. These masks may have served as training masks for novice dancers. They may also have been old white masks repainted black at the occasion of collective misfortune such as (epidemic, crime, witchcraft). They may also have had a judicial function and helped to uncover witches. They use short stilts, about 1 metre long. Black masks are rarer than the white ones among collections, perhaps due to their malevolent nature which may have made villagers hesitant to show them to Europeans. The stylized rendering of the eyes, represented as closed slits, evoke a sense of serenity while at the same time affording the wearer an unobstructed view of the performance arena he must negotiate. It measures 31 x 23 x 15cm

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Ann Porteus Sidewalk Tribal Gallery 19-21 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point 7004 Hobart Tasmania Australia ann@sidewalkgallery.com.au sidewalktribal.com t: 613 6224 0331