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Masquerade costume with two headdresses

Date20th century

Label TextMasqueraders wearing fiber costumes usually serve as part of a Pende initiation cycle. Protruding cylindrical eyes signal a lesson in the awareness of death, uncertainty and difficulty for young initiates. Some masqueraders take aggressive stances, which would be reinforced by the bristling ruffs and feather corona that complete the multistriped net body suit.

Object number95.131

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Order and Border, February 26, 2010 - August 28, 2011

Credit LineGift of Mark Groudine and Cynthia Putnam

Dimensions72in. (182.88cm) wristlet: 12in. diameter x 3.5 high pants: 41in. x 14in. shirt: 24in. x 56in. head: 15in. h x 14in. w

MediumFeathers, fiber, raffia, pigment, fur