Mask
Chokwe Artist, Angola

Details
Title
Mask
Artist/Maker
Chokwe Artist, Angola
Date
Twentieth century
Medium
Wood, fiber, metal, and pigment
Dimensions
10 inches
Credit
Fred and Rita Richman Collection
Accession #
2002.294
On View
Currently not on view
In Chokwe communities of the southern savannah region of central Africa, ancestral spirits known as makishi return to this world as animate beings to instruct the living. During the initiations of young men, makishi take the form of masks to transmit knowledge from generation to generation. Today ancestral spirit masks perform not only at initiations but also at political rallies, during national elections, and even outside prisons to give hope and spiritual support to inmates.
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