Lega Ivory Mask, 20th Century CE
Ivory
SP.123 (LSO)
This dark miniature mask is carved in the tradition of the Lega group, of what was once Zaire. It resembles the masks used in the Bwami tradition of this tribe,...
This dark miniature mask is carved in the tradition of the Lega group, of what was once Zaire. It resembles the masks used in the Bwami tradition of this tribe, but is likely to have been carved for more decorative than socially significant purposes. The piece shares some of the characteristics of lukungu masks, especially in its general shape and the fact that it is made from ivory.
The Lega people are amongst Africa’s best-known carvers and artists. Currently settled in the Kivu province of the eastern DRC, they believe themselves to be descended from an eponymous ancestor who migrated into the area from what is now Uganda. They are also known as Warega and Balega, based on corruptions of their actual name by neighbouring groups and Arab traders, respectively. They live in small villages and consider themselves parts of lineages, although to outsiders the “Lega” group is a well-defined unit. They are further defined on the basis of their modes of subsistence. The western Lega settled in the forest (malinga), where they rely on hunting and gathering, while the eastern groups live on poor soils, further denuded by their mode of slash-and-burn agriculture.
Lega government is based along the lines of a gerontocracy; and balanced very finely between leading members of different lineages. The Lega believe in a trio of gods named Kinkunga, Kalaga and Kakinga, and that when they die they will enter a subterranean afterworld known as Uchimu. Social life is structured by three main social institutions: family and kinship (ibuta), circumcision rituals (ibuta) and the Bwami society. Of these, the latter is perhaps the most powerful. It is centred on the guidance of young people to moral maturity, although it also fulfils a range of other political socio-political, economic and artistic functions. Much of the paraphernalia produced by the Lega pertains to the workings of the Bwami society. Examples include initiation objects – that are sometimes ground away and the resulting dust used as a healing device – isengo (lit. “heavy things” used in healing), binumbi (publicly visible insignia), bingonzengonze (“things of play”) and the large category of sculpted objects/assemblages known as bitungwa. Within the latter there are numerous sub-categories along the lines of size, material, ownership and type. This applies to all manner of objects; for our purposes, there are five categories of mask.
Each of the five categories of mask – lukwakongo, lukungu, idimu, muminia and kayamba – pertains to a different Bwami rank. Rather than wearable items, they are representations of faces or expressions of concepts that have nothing to do with concealment of identity (the true meaning of the term “mask”) and everything to do with rank, narrative or function within the Bwami ceremonial system. They can be piled up, scattered about, displayed on fences, worn on the arm or forehead or simply carried in the hands.
This piece is based upon the lukungu mask form. It is an attractive piece of African art.
Further reading: Cameron, E. 2001. The Art of the Lega. UCLA Press.
The Lega people are amongst Africa’s best-known carvers and artists. Currently settled in the Kivu province of the eastern DRC, they believe themselves to be descended from an eponymous ancestor who migrated into the area from what is now Uganda. They are also known as Warega and Balega, based on corruptions of their actual name by neighbouring groups and Arab traders, respectively. They live in small villages and consider themselves parts of lineages, although to outsiders the “Lega” group is a well-defined unit. They are further defined on the basis of their modes of subsistence. The western Lega settled in the forest (malinga), where they rely on hunting and gathering, while the eastern groups live on poor soils, further denuded by their mode of slash-and-burn agriculture.
Lega government is based along the lines of a gerontocracy; and balanced very finely between leading members of different lineages. The Lega believe in a trio of gods named Kinkunga, Kalaga and Kakinga, and that when they die they will enter a subterranean afterworld known as Uchimu. Social life is structured by three main social institutions: family and kinship (ibuta), circumcision rituals (ibuta) and the Bwami society. Of these, the latter is perhaps the most powerful. It is centred on the guidance of young people to moral maturity, although it also fulfils a range of other political socio-political, economic and artistic functions. Much of the paraphernalia produced by the Lega pertains to the workings of the Bwami society. Examples include initiation objects – that are sometimes ground away and the resulting dust used as a healing device – isengo (lit. “heavy things” used in healing), binumbi (publicly visible insignia), bingonzengonze (“things of play”) and the large category of sculpted objects/assemblages known as bitungwa. Within the latter there are numerous sub-categories along the lines of size, material, ownership and type. This applies to all manner of objects; for our purposes, there are five categories of mask.
Each of the five categories of mask – lukwakongo, lukungu, idimu, muminia and kayamba – pertains to a different Bwami rank. Rather than wearable items, they are representations of faces or expressions of concepts that have nothing to do with concealment of identity (the true meaning of the term “mask”) and everything to do with rank, narrative or function within the Bwami ceremonial system. They can be piled up, scattered about, displayed on fences, worn on the arm or forehead or simply carried in the hands.
This piece is based upon the lukungu mask form. It is an attractive piece of African art.
Further reading: Cameron, E. 2001. The Art of the Lega. UCLA Press.