241129 - African Kuba Elephant Mukenga Mask - Congo

241129 - African Kuba Elephant Mukenga Mask - Congo
€225.00

Nice African Mukenga mask from the Kuba, Congo.
Size: 45 cm including the beard x 30 cm x 20 cm.
This Mukenga Kuba mask comes from the collection of the Belgian Missionary Scheut.

A non-royal variant of the Mwaash aMbooy type mask is the Mukenga mask, representing an elephant. As in other African kingdoms, such as the Asante and those of the Cameroon grassfields, elephants are associated with royal power. According to the Kuba proverb, "an animal, even if it is large, does not surpass the elephant. A man, even if he has authority, does not surpass the king (Binkley 1992: 277). Mukenga masqueraders perform at the funeral ceremonies of high-status Kuba titleholders.