Female Body mask

Female Body mask

20th century

A pregnant woman’s body is evoked among the Makonde in a special costume. Her swollen breasts and abdomen are marked with a subtle ridge of tattoos that seem to mark the spot of new life on the way. This was one costume element worn by a young man who disguised himself with a woman’s face mask to enact a sedate dance with a seductive edge. Another masker staged an encounter and drama that suggested the agonies of childbirth. This performance was intended for a young teenage audience as part of an initiation into the rules of adult behavior, including the obligations of married life.

Scholars who have worked in Tanzania question the authenticity of this body mask, and suggest that it is a replica of this unusual form of mask that was often carved for trade. If you have comments or questions about this, please send them on to the museum’s staff at: research@seattleartmuseum.org.

Wood, natural pigments

Height: 22 1/2in. (57.2cm)

Gift of Dr. Oliver E. and Pamela F. Cobb

2012.29.19

Provenance: (Said to have been collected by a missionary named Bowen, early 1900s); purchased from English art dealer by present owner in 2005

Photo: Elizabeth Mann

Not currently on view

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

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