Female (Pwo) mask, Chokwe peoples (Democratic Republic of the Congo). Late 19th to early 20th century C.E. Wood, fiber, pigment, and metal
Chokwe masks are often performed at the celebrations that mark the completion of initiation into adulthood. That occasion also marks the dissolution of the bonds of intimacy between mothers and their sons. The pride and sorrow that event represents for Chokwe women is alluded to by the tear motif.
Form
Naturalistic depiction of a woman’s face with elaborately styled hair, earrings, and tattoos
Ideal features including wide forehead, small nose, calm expression, healthy (reddish brown) complexion, delicately rounded ears, mouth, and chin
Neat lines and circles, use of symmetric shapes
Crafted with very delicate carvings hence capturing a calm expression
has a broad and soft forehead and large, white, round eye sockets with almond eyes that are almost closed and bisected laterally by horizontal lines
glowing reddish brown surface represents healthy skin
Slender nose, elliptical mouth and hemispherical ears
On the side of face signs shown or repair, signs of long use
On the left cheek and forehead are the triangles of the tattoo (cingelyengelye)
Forehead/ temple: tatto mitelumuna (knitted eyebrows)
Under the eyes are tattoos that signify tears
Function
To honor an ideal Chokwe woman who had successfully given birth
Two performers, one wearing the pwo mask and one wearing a mask of her male counterpart, Cihongo, would dance and perform rituals meaning to give the tribe/village/community fertility and prosperity
Used during male initiation rites to teach young boys about how they should behave as well as to show them the type of ideal woman (who is like Pwo) that they should be looking for as a wife
It is danced during male initiation rites to show young boys what they should be looking for in their wives (looks and behaviors)
Danced for serious reasons and as for entertainment sometimes with the Cihongo (founding father) mask
Show the beauty of woman and their fertility
Content
Cingelyengelye on forehead and cheeks (tattoos)
The hairstyle on the mask represents a common Chokwe women’s hairstyle called coat, which includes a braided headband and heavy fringe coated with red earth (plaiting)
Pwo- the founding mother and deity who represents fertility
This mask represents Pwo Mwana, who is the younger and more idealized founding mother
Meanings of Tattoos:
Left cheek is the cingelyengelye: occurred as a necklace in the form of a cross, cut from tin plate and worn by the Chokwe as an amulet
Capuchin monks from the Order of Christ of Portugal disturbed medals (form of a cross) across the Chokwe land and most likely this was a prototype
Right cheek is the cijingo: in combination with a cross, denotes a spiral brass bracelet
Forehead: mitelumuna (knitted eyebrows) an allusion to discontentedness or arrogance
Under the eyes is the masoji, signifying tears
The whiteness around her eyes: spiritual realm/ her eyes are the most important part of face
The huge eyes suggests that she is on a different level or spirituality/ power and her wisdom is so great
The ideal woman and virtues: her hairstyle was fashionable and the women could really see themselves in the mask when it was being performed: ideal womanhood
Context
Depicts a female deity (Pwo) because she is used to help teach the boys being initiated into the society as men what appropriate behavior towards women is and how they should respect them
Young and fertile and has successfully given birth: influence women that it is their duty to their Chokwe lineage by bearing children and taking care of them
Respecting her bravery and courage to give birth to a child: she is so important because the Chokwe people hold a lot of respect for female deities, female ancestors, mothers/sisters/wives because they are a matrilineal society where the ancestry and inheritance is passed through the line of the mother
What is the geography of the area, and how does it shape its art?
The Chokwe people live in modern day Angola, and they fished and farmed to survive
Were once a part of the Empire-Lunda or the ‘Mwata Yanvo’ Muatianvuas (17th-19th century) who had a large rise and fall in the area
The leadership structure of the Chokwe people is unclear → some tributary chiefdoms, but some autonomous villages
Villages are very organized and compact, and are arranged into compounds
Women play a very important role in the Chokwe society, but were still controlled
Women had little power in government and in household
The Chokwe are a Matrilineal society, and descent is traced through a female line
This mask highlights the importance and prominence of women among the Chokwe
Men worked iron and made art with harder, more difficult materials; similar to many other African and Pacific societies
One of the primary practices of Chokwe beliefs was the reverence/worship of ancestors
Ancestors would serve as more intimate gods to the Chokwe, and they were considered part of the tribal “family”
This mask was a vital part of a masquerade, a common practice of the Chokwe people
These events would include performances from dancers and musicians. Various masks and costumes would be worn.
This mask played an important role in initiation ceremonies for adolescent boys
Themes
Spirituality
Femininity
Beauty
Fertility
Bloodline
Coming of age
Cross-Cultural Connections
74. Adam and Eve
217. Female deity from Nukuoro
