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Part of: (true) Heart Silent in Respect to Truer Vibrations (20 resources )
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(true) Heart Silent in Respect to Truer Vibrations

Copyright
All Rights Reserved
Created by
Kevin Moultrie Daye
Last Updated
May 25, 2022 1:33 p.m.

20 Items in this Learning Collection
mask

Collection Object
Mask

Collection Object
Spirit Mask

Collection Object
Mask (idangani)
Mask is made entirely of blackish-brown dyed and molded raffia fiber; face has bulging forehead, deeo set narrow eyes, bulbous nose, and raffia “beard.” Top of head has cone-like crest of small fiber knots.<br />
Collection Object
Mask
This bold and dramatic wooden Pende <em>mbangu</em> mask features a half-white, half-black face with a contorted visage.  The face has been carved in such a way that the features appearing on the left side, which has been pigmented black, are either positioned lower (the left ear and eye) or droop downwards (left sides of the nose and mouth). Moreover, the black portion of the face features several indentations representing scars. The resulting visual effect is one of facial asymmetry. A thick layer of white and black pigment has been applied to the face’s wooden surface, while black raffia fibers have been tightly woven onto a vegetable fiber cloth on the black half of the mask, completing the look.
Collection Object
Mask

Collection Object
Bwami Society Maskette
Concave, ovoid maskette with kaolin covering surface of surface of face. Minimal rendering of facial features: raised, tapered wood strip for nose; narrow, oviod, horizontal eyes; open, ovoid mouth with some striation around interior edge.
Collection Object
Mask

Collection Object
Mask
With fringe beard, carved teeth and scarifications.
Collection Object
N'tomo Society Initiation Mask

Collection Object
Commemorative Head
Ceramic head on a hollow cylinder with a fluted base. The figure&#39;s eyes and mouth are thin, while the nose is angular. The top of the head is covered in small protruding points.&nbsp;
Collection Object
Mask
Large, ovoid mask with a dark patina. The forehead of the face is raised, sloping down to a short, broad nose. The eyes are formed by two cresent shapes separated by a rectangle. On each cheek are three raised marks in a vertical line. The mouth is closed and may be moveable. 
Collection Object
Guli Society Mask

Collection Object
Face Mask
An oval wooden face made of dark shiny wood with a textile braid of hair all around, wrapped tight to the head. The eyes are slightly shut and the mouth is open.
Collection Object
Antelope Mask

Collection Object
Ngontang Helmet Mask with Four Faces
An enclosed wooden mask with four white faces on top of a darker wood. Two faces are larger and two are smaller, all with decorative marks on them. There are holes drilled along the bottom and through the ridges on the top.
Collection Object
Marka Mask Adorned with Brass Sheet Metal

Collection Object
Pwo mask
Oval-shaped face mask&nbsp;with slit eye-openings, a mouth with articulated teeth, and scarification on the forehead.&nbsp;
Collection Object
Mask
Wooden mask with an oblong-shaped face, semi-circular beard, and a semi-circular headdress or coiffure. The beard consists of a curving band around the chin with incised, vertical grooves. The mouth is open to reveal teeth and the cheeks are flat. One half of the nose is broken off. Round eyes sit below a prominent forehead. The ears of the mask are small and square. Atop the head sits a semi-circular headdress or coiffure consisting of small, rectangular knobs. 
Collection Object
Power figure (nkisi)
Carved wooden human figure attached to an animal's horn. A plug or mushroom shaped projection extends from the human figure's head.
Collection Object
20 Items in this Learning Collection
mask

Collection Object
Mask

Collection Object
Spirit Mask

Collection Object
Mask (idangani)
Mask is made entirely of blackish-brown dyed and molded raffia fiber; face has bulging forehead, deeo set narrow eyes, bulbous nose, and raffia “beard.” Top of head has cone-like crest of small fiber knots.<br />
Collection Object
Mask
This bold and dramatic wooden Pende <em>mbangu</em> mask features a half-white, half-black face with a contorted visage.  The face has been carved in such a way that the features appearing on the left side, which has been pigmented black, are either positioned lower (the left ear and eye) or droop downwards (left sides of the nose and mouth). Moreover, the black portion of the face features several indentations representing scars. The resulting visual effect is one of facial asymmetry. A thick layer of white and black pigment has been applied to the face’s wooden surface, while black raffia fibers have been tightly woven onto a vegetable fiber cloth on the black half of the mask, completing the look.
Collection Object
Mask

Collection Object
Bwami Society Maskette
Concave, ovoid maskette with kaolin covering surface of surface of face. Minimal rendering of facial features: raised, tapered wood strip for nose; narrow, oviod, horizontal eyes; open, ovoid mouth with some striation around interior edge.
Collection Object
Mask

Collection Object
Mask
With fringe beard, carved teeth and scarifications.
Collection Object
N'tomo Society Initiation Mask

Collection Object
Commemorative Head
Ceramic head on a hollow cylinder with a fluted base. The figure&#39;s eyes and mouth are thin, while the nose is angular. The top of the head is covered in small protruding points.&nbsp;
Collection Object
Mask
Large, ovoid mask with a dark patina. The forehead of the face is raised, sloping down to a short, broad nose. The eyes are formed by two cresent shapes separated by a rectangle. On each cheek are three raised marks in a vertical line. The mouth is closed and may be moveable. 
Collection Object
Guli Society Mask

Collection Object
Face Mask
An oval wooden face made of dark shiny wood with a textile braid of hair all around, wrapped tight to the head. The eyes are slightly shut and the mouth is open.
Collection Object
Antelope Mask

Collection Object
Ngontang Helmet Mask with Four Faces
An enclosed wooden mask with four white faces on top of a darker wood. Two faces are larger and two are smaller, all with decorative marks on them. There are holes drilled along the bottom and through the ridges on the top.
Collection Object
Marka Mask Adorned with Brass Sheet Metal

Collection Object
Pwo mask
Oval-shaped face mask&nbsp;with slit eye-openings, a mouth with articulated teeth, and scarification on the forehead.&nbsp;
Collection Object
Mask
Wooden mask with an oblong-shaped face, semi-circular beard, and a semi-circular headdress or coiffure. The beard consists of a curving band around the chin with incised, vertical grooves. The mouth is open to reveal teeth and the cheeks are flat. One half of the nose is broken off. Round eyes sit below a prominent forehead. The ears of the mask are small and square. Atop the head sits a semi-circular headdress or coiffure consisting of small, rectangular knobs. 
Collection Object
Power figure (nkisi)
Carved wooden human figure attached to an animal's horn. A plug or mushroom shaped projection extends from the human figure's head.
Collection Object

Copyright
All Rights Reserved ()

Bwami Society Maskette

Accession Number
1985/1.151

Title
Bwami Society Maskette

Artist(s)
Lega

Artist Nationality
Lega

Object Creation Date
1900-1975

Medium & Support
wood, kaolin

Dimensions
7 11/16 in x 6 3/16 in x 2 1/2 in (19.5 cm x 15.7 cm x 6.3 cm);7 11/16 in x 6 3/16 in x 2 1/2 in (19.5 cm x 15.7 cm x 6.3 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of the Friends of the Museum of Art in memory of Diana B. Fox

Label copy
(African Art and the Shape of Time; August 18, 2012-February 3, 2013)
11. Mask (probably idimu)
Lega peoples, probably first half of 20th century, wood, kaolin,
University of Michigan Museum of Art, Gift of the Friends of the Museum of Art in memory of Diana B. Fox, 1985/1.151
An object that looks like a mask may function in contexts other than masquerade. In the Lega men’s initiation society called bwami masks are used to transfer political and religious knowledge from generation to generation. The term idimu may be loosely translated as “ancestor.” But this mask does not represent a specific ancestor; it signifies instead both a senior bwami initiate who is regarded as a living ancestor, as well as the esoteric knowledge that he wields and that is ascribed to the mask.

Subject matter
This maskette was used in initiation ceremonies associated with bwami, a ranked initiation society open to all Lega men and women. Bwami was the core of Lega identity. Its moral and philosophical precepts permeated all aspects of social and political life. Maskettes were emblems of an individual's rank in the bwami society. They were also used to aid in the instruction of bwami ideas and values. The meaning of individual maskettes were context specific and could change over time.

Physical Description
Concave, ovoid maskette with kaolin covering surface of surface of face. Minimal rendering of facial features: raised, tapered wood strip for nose; narrow, oviod, horizontal eyes; open, ovoid mouth with some striation around interior edge.

Primary Object Classification
Wood and Woodcarving

Primary Object Type
mask

Collection Area
African

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
initiations
maskettes
prestige
wood (plant material)

2 Related Resources
Cabinet V: Shelf 3
(Part of: Albertine Monroe-Brown Study-Storage Gallery)

& Author Notes

Web Use Permitted

On display

UMMA Gallery Location ➜ AMH, 2nd floor ➜ 205 (Albertine Monroe-Brown Study-Storage Gallery) ➜ Cabinet V ➜ Shelf 3