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. Traditionally the mask's upward turning nose was removed and burned, with the ashes being kept until the next initiation ceremonies.
- Description
- Cap mask composed of a small wood face with contracted jaw and vertical handle. The superstructure is fabricated with cloth stretched over an armature and adorned with white, blue, black, red and yellow geometric patterns. The central spire supports one horizontal disk flanked by four projections or horns. Strings of pale blue beads, and of green, yellow and red factory printed cloth, link the central spire with the four horns. The numbers 1969710 are horizontally inscribed with white paint or pigment around the central spire. A skirt of raffia fringes edges the mask.
- Provenance
- Eliot Elisofon, New York, collected Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1966-1967 to 1970
- 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 Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks.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
- Mid 20th century
- Credit Line
- Gift of Eliot Elisofon
- Medium
- Wood, raffia, cloth, plant fiber, pigment, paint, beads
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 47.5 x 48 x 48cm (18 11/16 x 18 7/8 x 18 7/8in.)
- Type
- Mask
