Pende Mbangu Mask

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This mask is in supply. The page and description are under construction.

The Pende people can trace their ancestry back to northern Angola in the Kwango region and had close ties with the Lunda. They were forced north to their current position in Zaire by a Lunda expansion of territory. At this time they were divided into two distinct groups: the western Pende and the Pende of the east. Although divided into geographically different locations they still considered themselves one people. In 1885 both Pende groups were invaded by the Chokwe and suffered great loss. Belgium colonialism put an end to the Chokwe invasion and the Pende were able to regain their independence. The Pende have a matrilineal society but the sculptors' profession is passed from father to son. The Pende create ritual and practical objects such as chairs, stools, masks, drums, weapons, ivory pendants and divination instruments to name a few.

The western Pende produce around 15 different ceremonial masks. One of the most tribally powerful and internationally famous is known as the Mbangu mask, pictured here. It is recognized by an opposition of black and white that bisects the face and a general distortion of facial features specifically the twisted nose and mouth. The color white, symbolic of the spirits of the dead, in this case represents the hope of being cured of illness. The black pigment stands for the sickness and illness that ravages one throughout life. The combination of black against white symbolizes this struggle. This kind of Mbangu mask also represents an epileptic or someone bewitched by sorcery both thought to be debilitating diseases caused by malevolent forces. It is very rare in Africa to find any work of art that depicts an individual strickened by sickness,infirmity or any type of disease. To dramatize the characters' ailment during a dance, a performer might have worn a hump on his back pierced by an arrow and limped on a cane. In addition he may have carried at his belt a bow with arrows as well as bells for hunting dogs, giving the impression of a hunter incapable of wielding his own weapons. The Mbangu on display is offered in its entirity complete with fiber headdress and costume chin attachment.

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