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Catalog Data

Maker:
Lwena artist  Search this
Medium:
Bark cloth, raffia fiber, pigment
Dimensions:
H x W x D (with fringe): 110.5 × 33.5 × 31 cm (43 1/2 × 13 3/16 × 12 3/16 in.)
Type:
Mask
Geography:
Zambia
Date:
1971-1972
Label Text:
The masquerade character known as Chikunza or Chikuza is one of many makishi (mask characters) found among the Chokwe, Luvale/Lwena, Luchazi, Lunda, and Mbunda peoples living in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Makishi are the domain of men. Numbering close to one hundred characters, they are powerful representations of spirits, often those of the deceased, with boys’ initiation rites, or mukanda, as the primary context for masquerade performances (Jordán 1998: 67; 2006: 17). Archetypal masks, such as mwana pwo, or the beautiful, ideal woman, along with other sociable female and male masquerade characters, function in entertaining and educational contexts, for they represent the range of social personalities that exist in any community.
More ambiguous characters also perform, including a range of aggressive masks with anthropomorphic, exaggerated features whose role “is to protect the initiation camp from intruders, physical or supernatural” (ibid.: 26). Chikunza, an aggressive masquerade character, is performed during mukanda initiation rites, ceremonial events, such as the enthronement of chiefs, and other occasions. Identified as a protective ancestor and the patron and protector of the mukanda men’s initiation, Chikunza is distinguished by his tall, conical head, which “refers to a type of grasshopper that has the same name and a similarly elongated head (Jordán 1998: plate 93). It is constructed of bark cloth and resin applied over a wooden framework. Manuel Jordán, a specialist in Chokwe arts, notes that Chikunza “may hold a bell, a tree branch, an axe, or another weapon” that is brandished to threaten women and the uninitiated (Jordán 2006: 77). Although characterized as an aggressive type of mask, Chikunza is associated with fertility and success in hunting and its performance is generally fairly relaxed in comparison to the performance of other aggressive masks from this region. The performer’s identity is concealed by the mask and its fiber fringe, neck covering, and skirt.
Robert and Ninette Reis, who donated this mask, recall that the Zambian National Dance Troupe, which performed in Zambia, as well as overseas, had a small area in a government building in central Lusaka, where there were reference materials on Zambian dances. One day in 1971 or 1972, Robert Reis went to the library to read about a dance that he had seen performed at a cultural center in Livingston, Zambia. He asked a clerk at the office who made the masks for the troupe, and if this artist ever made masks for sale. The clerk arranged for Robert and Ninette Reise to meet the mask maker. The artist agreed to make a number of masks for them, including this Chikunza mask and a hyena mask that was donated to the Museum of African Art in 1975,
Description:
Fiber mask – red, black, and white in coloration – characterized by anthropomorphic facial features and topped by a very tall and slightly backward-curving conical shape encircled with three raised rings. The conical superstructure is ornamented with linear designs arranged in diamond shapes bisected by a raised vertical rib, white in color, which extends from the uppermost tip of the superstructure down to the bridge of the nose. The projecting eyes are accented with red and white pigment. The nose is formed by the lower portion of the raised vertical rib, and the rounded mouth is slightly open. White dots, 6 to 8 in a cluster, ornament the forehead, temples, and cheeks of the face mask. The mask terminates in a fiber ruff stitched to the lower portion of the mask.
Provenance:
Robert and Ninette Reis, purchased 1971/72 from a member of the Zambian National Dance Troupe, to 2016
Content Statement:
As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
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High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
Topic:
Initiation  Search this
Male use  Search this
geometric motif  Search this
male  Search this
Credit Line:
Gift of Robert and Ninette Reis
Object number:
2016-9-1
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
National Museum of African Art Collection
Data Source:
National Museum of African Art
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys77eba00de-5316-42ef-b2fe-373d342b2986
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmafa_2016-9-1