The Teke people reside in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Gabon. The Teke of the northwest are known as the Tsaye. The basic social unit of the two groups is the family, led by the Mfumu or head of the family who has the right of life or death over each clan member. The village as a whole is led by the “father of the land” or Mfumu na tzee. The Tsaye believe in a supreme God, Nzambi and are socially governed by the secret Kidumu society. The Kidumu, more than a century old, is a political-religious society that intervenes in all major aspects of social life: circumcisions, weddings, judgements and funerals. At the end of a Kidumu ceremony, a dancer, accompanied by musicians, performs with a circular shaped mask which is bisected by a horizontal stripe. The mask is covered with carved abstract geometrical motifs that are filled in with combinations of pigments such as red, blue, white and or brown. On the back side of this type of mask is "U" shaped wood piece that form a cushion while on the dancer.

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Dimensions: 11 1/4 inch diameter

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