Helmet mask (Mukenga)
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Northern Kuba people
Mid-20th century
Raffia, wood, cowrie shells, beads, parrot feathers, and goat hair
33 ½ x 22 x 26 in. (85.09 x 55.88 x 66.04 cm)
Gift in honor of Peter Hanszen Lynch and Cristina Martha Frances Lynch, 1998.11

This mask, with elephantine features, is called a Mukenga (also Mukyeem) and expresses mourning and nobility. It appeared at funerals of great men among the northern peoples living outside Mushenge, capital of the Kuba kingdom. In this instance, white cowrie shells signify both mourning and the ancestors’ dry bones. The long trunk is flanked by mock tusks and decorated with red feathers rising from the top of the mask. Ownership and control of ivory and the gray parrot’s red tail feathers—both rare materials—were reserved for the Kuba king.

Unlike most masks that cover the entire head, the Mukenga does not have eyeholes. Under the “blind mask” the dancer, himself a man of high rank, performs ancient steps with pride, gravity, and dignity. Sighted attendants guard him while he dances.