Kuba Ngady aMwaash mask, Democratic Republic of the Congo
aprox. 14" tall x 9" wide
wood, beads, cowry shells, raffia cloth, pigment
$500 - INQUIRE
"Ngady aMwaash portrays Mweel, Woot's beautiful sister and wife (alternatively, mother), and who represents
women in general. The mask is striking with its stong pattern of white and black triangles painted on the face,
which are said to represent hearthstones and domesticity. Lines painted down the cheeks represent tears and
recall the pain of death, for royal masks often appear in funerary contexts. The tears also denote the hardship
of a woman's life as a "pawn" of male authority -- befitting the mask's name (Ngady aMwaash), which means
"pawn woman of Mwaash," her husband/brother king . The Ngady amwaash and Moshambwooy masks dance
together on ceremonial occasions with great dignity and pride." from Africa: The Art of a Continent
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