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SAM'S collection
Mask
Mask

Mask

Label TextGaza or “that which gives strength” is the name of Ngbaka initiations in which masks played a part. Initiates were tested for physical endurance and mental acuity as they learned songs and choreography based on recreations of ancestral teachings. Masks, known as dagara, are distinctive in style, with oval eyes and sliver mouths, as well as facial scarification ridges, which are missing in this example. The oldest known example of a Ngbaka mask is in the Brooklyn Museum, and it was collected during a museum expedition in 1922.
Object number91.253
Published ReferencesSeattle Art Museum: Bridging Cultures, London: Scala Publishers Ltd. for the Seattle Art Museum, 2007, p. 49
Credit LineGift of Dr. Oliver E. and Pamela F. Cobb
Dimensions10 5/8 x 8 1/4 in. (26.99 x 20.96 cm)
MediumWood
Congolese
Object number: 2001.48
Helmet Mask
Congolese
Object number: 2001.51
Mask
Congolese
Object number: 81.17.828
Mask (Lukwakongo type)
Congolese
Object number: 81.17.861
Photo: Elizabeth Mann
Congolese
Object number: 81.17.868
Photo: Paul Macapia
Congolese
Object number: 81.17.869
Chimpanzee-human mask (so'o)
Congolese
Object number: 81.17.870
Mask (Hemba)
Congolese
Object number: 81.17.909
Photo: Scott Leen
Congolese
20th century
Object number: 2004.107
Congolese
Object number: 2001.970
Congolese
Object number: 2001.44