Tchokwe Mask, Pwo. Angola

Important Tchokwe mask, Pwo. Angola (Mwakahila, south Kasai), ca.1900.
In carved wood and raffia.
Attached expertly made Primitive Art.
Measurements: 23 x 15 x 10 cm.; 37 cm. with stand.
The Pwo mask represents the ideal wife and mother who sows fertility, where she dances. The braided fibers in the back, allowed to fix the mask to the head of the dancer, together with a fiber suit that covered the body. The two most characteristic African masks of the Tchokwe ethnic group are the Pwo, a woman's mask, and the Cihongo, a man's mask. Scarification patterns on the forehead or cheeks are also common in this ethnic group. The Tchokwé lack a central authority, being the local chiefs the main political leaders. This position has a hereditary character, which follows the matrilineal way, that is to say, passing the command to the male descendants of the maternal uncle. The chiefs, mwananganga, rely on the advice of the Council of Elders and religious leaders to make their decisions.
Provenance: Canadian private collection. Pon's private collection (since early 1970's).European Private Collection.