Masquerade costume with two headdresses
20th century
Masqueraders 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.
Feathers, fiber, raffia, pigment, fur
72in. (182.88cm)
wristlet: 12in. diameter x 3.5 high
pants: 41in. x 14in.
shirt: 24in. x 56in.
head: 15in. h x 14in. w
Gift of Mark Groudine and Cynthia Putnam
95.131