Object Details
- Label Text
- Yaka masks are associated with nkanda male circumcision and puberty rituals. Initiation masters and the leaders of the initiates wear this type of mask in choreographed appearances of the male ancestors and culture heroes to promote life, growth and healing and to welcome a new generation of men. The masks contain complex and subtle references to male and female sexuality, the fertility of the earth, and the cycles of the sun and the moon. At the end of the ceremonies, the masks are either destroyed or sold. This mask with its antelope face, differs from the human face with upturned nose more commonly seen in collections. Small antelopes take the role of the trickster in initiation camp teaching stories.
- Description
- The wood portion of the mask represents an antelope's (gazelle's?) head with two black colored horns rising straight up from either side of the head, two protruding cylinders representing ears, a short, blunt nose with two nostrils indicated, oval shaped eyes carved deeply into red colored sockets, small rectangles representing teeth carved along both sides of the mouth and a handle protruding from underneath the animal's head. The head itself is attached to a central core made of vegetable fiber. Five elongated prongs are placed around this core and in the middle is a cylinder placed on a disc shaped platform. A stick protrudes from the cylinder and a handle is attached at the back. Surrounding the entire mask is a raffia ruff.
- Provenance
- General Frederik V. Olsen (1877-1962), collected Belgian Congo, before 1930 to 1962
- Family collection, 1962 to 2005
- Exhibition History
- Artful Animals, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., July 1, 2009-July 25, 2010
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Data Source
- National Museum of African Art
- Maker
- Yaka artist
- Date
- Early 20th century
- Credit Line
- Gift of the Fidao family
- Medium
- Wood, vegetable fiber, raffia cloth, paint
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 55 x 35 x 55 cm (21 5/8 x 13 3/4 x 21 5/8 in.)
- Type
- Mask
