Yaka
Bandundu region, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Central Africa
Helmet Mask (Kholuka or Mbala)
INV-1208
Yaka
Bandundu region, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Central AfricaLate 19th-early 20th century
Helmet Mask (Kholuka or Mbala)
Yaka Bandundu region, Democratic Republic of the Congo Central Africa →yakaArts of Africaafrican ArtCentral Africamasksarts of Africa
Date
Late 19th-early 20th century
Medium
Wood, raffia, and pigment
Dimensions
deck mount/post: 76.2 × 48.3 × 48.3 cm (30 × 19 × 19 in.); 48.3 × 48.3 × 48.3 cm (19 × 19 × 19 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Neal Ball
In the past, Yaka masks like this example comprising a wooden face with a dome-shaped hairstyle of twigs and cloth appeared in performances marking the end of the male puberty ritual called n-khanda. They embodied the ancestors who watched over fertility and well-being, and celebrated the boys’ reintegration into society as adults after a long period of seclusion at the edge of the village. The masks’ imagery refers to Yaka concepts of cosmogony and sexuality.
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