|
Name
|
Kifwebe |
|
Code
|
Kifw-002 |
|
Tribe
|
Basongye |
|
Country
|
Zaire: Lusambo province |
|
Notes
|
The term kifwebe is used by both the Songye and Luba peoples of Zaire, and is associated with the striated wooden facial masks with highly geometric facial structure. The bwadi bwa kifwebe society is present among the Songye and the Luba.
The society aids the leaders in the exercise of their economic and political power, sometimes with the help of witchcraft, buchi, or magic, masende. One of the most powerful instruments of the society are the kifwebe masks, said to be the incarnations of bizarre heterogeneous beings. The example shown here is a male mask, identified by the use of red decoration. |
| Bibliography |
Face of the Spirits: Masks from the Zaire Basin
Frank Herreman, Constantijn Petredis
African Art: Its Background and Traditions
R. S. Wassing |
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