250528 - Old African Suku helm mask with raffia beard - Congo.

Old African Suku mask with Raffia beard from Congo
Dimensions: 40 cm high and 40 cm wide.
Very nice Suku helm mask carved from wood with Raffia hair.
From a Belgian private collection.
Mr. Tabala is a passionate collector of African art who collected these objects between 1983 and the nineties. He traveled to many regions of Congo and Tanzania.

This mask is dated from the mid of the 20th century and comes with a certificate of authenticity.

This Suku helmet mask was used in initiation ceremonies for young men. After a long training period in an nkanda (or mukanda) initiation camp, young men wear this mask to introduce their new status as men. After the nkanda session, these hemba masks were danced into the suku villages. The hemba served as protection in times of change for the young adult ("Tudansi"). The suku live in an area between the Kwango and Kwilu rivers in Congo.
During the initiation period, which lasts about a year or more, adolescent boys are separated from the village and subjected to a series of trials, including circumcision, intended to measure their strength and courage, and to learn the male professions of farming and hunting. These tests often culminate in the boys' symbolic death as children and rebirth as men.
The masks are often crowned with animal figures. It is rare to find such a dark variant, as they are usually multi-colored.