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Name
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ngadi mwaash / ngady amwaash
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Code
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Ngadi-017 |
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Tribe
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Bushoong: a tribe in the Kuba kingdom
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Country
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Zaire (now People’s Republic of Congo) |
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Notes
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The Ngadi Mwaash mask originated in the first dynasty, when Queen Ngokady wished to emphasize the cultural role played by women. Seeing that women could not themselves wear masks, she had a dance cosume designed which could equally be worn by a man.
The Ngadi Mwaash represents Mweel, the sister of Woot, the founding ancestor of the tribe, with whom she was reputed to have had an incestuous relationship, from which offspring emanated
Ngadi Mwaash performs with the Moshambwooy mask, representing Woot, at dances held to honour deceased members of the initiation society.
The mask is in wood, richly decorated with numerous little triangles. The brow is adorned with two facing triangles, elements of the motif ntshuum anyim, the king’s house. The eyes are not pierced, so the mask is worn far back on the head in order for the dancer to see. Parallel lines run from under the eyes to the jaw. These are tears, byoosh’dy, said to be shed at the death of an initiated man. The headdress, distinctive to kuba female diviners, is made of raffia, and adorned with cowrie shells. Beads are often applied to the eyebrows, and a beaded band covers the nose and mouth. |
| Bibliography |
Face of the Spirits: Masks of the Zaire Basin
Frank Herreman, Constantijn Petridis
Art of Central Africa: Masterpieces from the Berlin Museum fur Volkerkunde
Hans-Joachim Koloss |
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