240931 - Old Rare African Lega mask with 2 faces and raffia - Congo.

Congo: African Rare Old mask from the Lega.

Hand carved from a single piece of colorful painted wood.

Height:  32 cm.

This Lega mask dated from the mid of the 20th century and comes with a certificate of authenticity.

This African Lega mask with the particularity of having 4 eyes, 4 ears, 1 nose and 1 mouth, strengthened by kaolin.

None of these African masks are intended to inspire fear, frighten or terrorise the uninitiated.  However, it is said that in ancient practices, this type of mask was worn during circumcision ceremonies by a middle-ranking initiate in order to keep women and children away, so the four sculpted eyes are not unrelated to this and therefore increase the power of visibility and surveillance of the wearer.

By the 1970s Lega people were mostly living in the middle and upper Elila valley and the upper Ulindi River valley. These rivers both rise in the east of South Kivu and flow in a northwesterly direction through Maniema, joining the Lualaba downstream from Kindu. The upper Ulindi valley has a richly diverse fauna, including many monkey species, chimpanzees, leopards, buffaloes, elephants and antelopes. The valley is administratively divided into the Mwenga and Shabunda territories of South Kivu Province and the Pangi Territory of Maniema Province.

The territory is covered by deep rain forest and, in the east, rugged mountains rising to 6,000 feet (1,800 m) or more. The climate is hot and humid year round. The mountains hold areas of moist woodlands as well as montane forest and grasslands. To the north and west the forest is denser and deeper. The south of the region holds mosaics of forest savannah and woodlands. All of the forest has long been inhabited by humans, who have cleared land for cultivation, then let it return to the wild. In some places the forest has not grown back but has been replaced by grassland. The forest has many plants and trees that provide food and are used for other purposes, and has abundant wildlife.