This mask combines several elements of various Kuba masks. The expressive face is intricately carved out of wood. The soft helmet made out of clothe and decorated with cowries, feathers and beads is topped by a plumage of feathers, which gives the mask a lively energy.
In Southern Kuba regions initiation ceremony is associated with building a huge initiation wall. Such a wall separates affairs of the village from the world of the forest. Masks or models of masks play a crucial part in wall decoration. Village elders construct such masks and place them atop the wall.
The stand, visible in photos, is not sold with this mask
