Research Catalog
Kifwebe : a century of Songye and Luba masks
- Title
- Kifwebe : a century of Songye and Luba masks / François Neyt assisted by Anne-Chantal Olbrechts ; with texts by Allen F. Roberts, Kevin D. Dumouchelle, Woods Davy, H. Kellim Brown ; photographs by Alan Shaffer.
- Author
- Neyt, François
- Publication
- Milan, Italy : 5 Continents Editions, [2019]
- ©2019
- Supplementary Content
- TOC
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| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schomburg Center to submit a request in person. | Text | Use in library | Sc+ G 21-9 | Schomburg Center - Research & Reference |
Details
- Additional Authors
- Description
- 367 pages : illustrations (chiefly color), color maps; 32 cm
- Summary
- Kifwebe masks are ceremonial objects used by the Songye and Luba societies (Democratic Republic of Congo), where they are worn with costumes consisting of a long robe and a long beard made of plant fibres. As in other central African cultures, the same mask can be used in either magical and religious or festive ceremonies. In order to understand Kifwebe masks, it is essential to consider them within the cosmogony of the python rainbow, metalworking in the forge, and other plant and animal signs. Among the Songye, benevolent female masks reveal what is hidden and balance white and red energy associated with two subsequent initiations, the bukishi. Aggressive male masks were originally involved in social control and had a kind of policing role, carried out in accordance with the instructions of village elders. These two male and female forces acted in a balanced way to reinforce harmony within the village. Among the Luba, the masked figures are also benevolent and appear at the new moon, their role being to enhance fertility. Although the male and female masks fulfill functions that do not wholly overlap, they do have features in common: a frontal crest, round and excessively protruding eyes, flaring nostrils, a cube-shaped mouth and lips, stripes, and colours. Art historians and anthropologists have taken increasing interest in Kifwebe masks in recent years.
- Alternative Title
- Century of Songye and Luba masks
- Subject
- Davy, Woods, 1949- > Art collections > Catalogs
- Davy, Woods, 1949-
- Masks, Songye > Catalogs
- Art, Luba > Catalogs
- Masks > Congo (Democratic Republic) > Catalogs
- Wood sculpture, Luba > Catalogs
- Wood sculpture, Songye > Catalogs
- Masks > Private collections > California > Catalogs
- Art, Luba
- Art > Private collections
- Masks
- Masks > Private collections
- Masks, Songye
- Wood sculpture, Luba
- Wood sculpture, Songye
- California
- Congo (Democratic Republic)
- Genre/Form
- Catalogs.
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references.
- Call Number
- Sc+ G 21-9
- ISBN
- 8874398646
- 9788874398645
- OCLC
- 1099195537
- Author
- Neyt, François, author.
- Title
- Kifwebe : a century of Songye and Luba masks / François Neyt assisted by Anne-Chantal Olbrechts ; with texts by Allen F. Roberts, Kevin D. Dumouchelle, Woods Davy, H. Kellim Brown ; photographs by Alan Shaffer.
- Publisher
- Milan, Italy : 5 Continents Editions, [2019]
- Copyright Date
- ©2019
- Type of Content
- textstill image
- Type of Medium
- unmediated
- Type of Carrier
- volume
- Bibliography
- Includes bibliographical references.
- Local Note
- Schomburg copy with dust jacket.
- Connect to:
- Added Author
- Olbrechts, Anne-Chantal, contributor.Roberts, Allen F., contributor.Dumouchelle, Kevin D., contributor.Davy, Woods, contributor.Brown, H. Kellim, contributor.
- Research Call Number
- Sc+ G 21-9