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MASK Mwisi Gwa So'o
Hemba culture, Democratic Republic of Congo
First half of the 20th century
Wood
H. 21; L 16 m
Monoxyle wooden mask featuring a stylized monkey, with a mouth openworked over small pointed teeth, crescent-shaped eyes, eyebrow arches incised in hatching and a particularly tapered nose.
"So'o" refers to the term "sokomotu", meaning chimpanzee.
He dances during funeral ceremonies to reconcile the living and the dead, known as ubuzha malilo.
Text and photos © FCP CORIDON
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