Gaza 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.
Wood
10 5/8 x 8 1/4 in. (26.99 x 20.96 cm)
Gift of Dr. Oliver E. and Pamela F. Cobb
91.253
Now on view at the
Seattle Art Museum
Resources
Published ReferencesSeattle Art Museum: Bridging Cultures, London: Scala Publishers Ltd. for the Seattle Art Museum, 2007, p. 49
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.
