D. R. Congo, Kuba Kingdom, Southern Kuba
Early and rare helmet mask "nnup" or "inuba", before 1910

wood, pigments,
Present mask represents a very early example of this mask type. A comparable object collected by Leo Frobenius in 1906 was once in the Museum für Völkerkunde Hamburg (Zwernemann 1985, ill. 164). Another object that was purchased by Umlauff in Hamburg before 1910 can be found in the Museum der Weltkulturen, Frankfurt am Main (Sibeth, 2009, p. 134 f.).

These masks were used during the initiation ceremonies of the boys as well as in funeral rites. In connection with initiation, they represent nature spirits "ngesh" and are part of the boys' instruction aimed at transmitting and acquiring secret knowledge.

Without the corresponding mask costume, the cult objects supplementing the mask appearance and the associated songs, the original purpose can no longer be determined.
H: 46 cm, H: 18,1 inch

Provenance:
Family Collection Linde, Ditzingen, Germany

Lit.: Zwernemann, Jürgen & Wulf Lohse, Aus Afrika, Ahnen, Geister, Götter, Hamburg 1985, p. 164, ill. 164
Sibeth, Achim (Hg.), Being object, being art, Frankfurt am Main, Berlin 2009, p. 134 f. (Ross Archive of African Images, No. 1465)
Felix, Marc L. (ed), Masks in Congo, Hong Kong 2016, p. 162
Continent: Africa