Kwele Antelope mask - Gabon (05)

Masks such as this were rarely worn. They were kept hanging in the house. When worn, their function was to "warm up" the village atmosphere in order to activate the beneficial forces from the Bwete containers. There are two primary masks used by Beete dancers, one resembling an antelope (Ekuk) and the other a gorilla (Gon). Heart-shaped "ekuk" masks representing the peaceful spirits which might be encountered during the hunt, as opposed to the "gon," which symbolizes danger. The Kwele live in the north-eastern of Gabon and the Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville). They have produced varieties of mask used in the initiation ceremonies into the Bwete cult. The Bwete Society has social control over most activities of the Kwele, a small patrilineal group living to the east of the Fang and Kota, in the dense forests of inland Gabon.

Feature:  Cowrie shells

Size:- 52cmH x 17cmW