201022 - Large Old Tribal used African Helmet mask from the Lega Bwami - Congo.

Congo: Large Tribal used African Helmet mask from the Lega Bwami.

This type of mask is used in context of initiation.

Hand carved from a single piece of colorful painted wood.

Size:  50  cm high and more then 3 kilo.

Wooden helmet masks constitute some of the most important insignia of the second-highest grade of Bwami. Generally these helmet masks, known as lukwakongo, have 4 heart-shaped face framed by a line formed by the nose, the eyebrows, and the planes of the cheeks. The forehead and edges characteristically have a glossy brown patina. Lukwakongo are never worn on the face, but are instead tied to the arm or displayed on a fence at Bwami meetings.