Mask (munyangi or kindjinga)

Carved by Kiyova of Luaya-Ndambo, this is an iconic example of a central African mask. With bold sculpted lines, abstracted facial features, and vivid red and white pigment framed by fur and fiber, this mask was likely not danced. This does not make it “inauthentic”; to the contrary, the best masks were often diverted directly to the market where they could be sold to Pende or foreign consumers. Pende mask makers—and their audiences—craved innovation, leading artists to constantly create new mask genres and retire passé models.

This mask is equipped with a knotted rope threaded through the teeth, which a masker would have bit down on to hold the mask against his forehead.