Pende Mbuya Mask

History

The mbuya, or village masks, represent human types, such as the chief, the diviner, the madman or man in a trance, the widow, the lover, or the executioner. All told, about twenty characters and seven “masks of power” appear in ceremonies such as millet-planting celebration, circumcision, initiation ritual and  enthronement. Although they represent roles in the secular society rather than spirits, they are also used to control supernatural forces. Worn by the celebrants at coming out parties of newly initiated young men who have just been circumcised, these masks represent revered mythological beings and ancestors such as chiefs and their wives, hunters, prophets and sages.

Masks are the dominant form of Pende sculptural work and are used in masquerades where artists, musicians and dancers perform their accomplished arts. The look and character of a mask are conceptualised by male dancers who will perform it. The dancer creates the mask only after he has choreographed a dance for it, written a song for it, and selected the necessary dance costume and props to accompany it. When these things have been accomplished, the dancer collaborates with a drummer to play the lead rhythm for the mask’s dance. Finally, if the mask is new in concept or character, a master sculptor will be consulted to reflect the nature of the being.