Beautiful Ceremonial Punu Mask

Description

Masks are a window into the soul of a culture, and provide us with great conversation pieces for the home. African masks are possibly the most admired and well known art form of Africa. They are both idea and form. The artistry of African masks is self evident but, for the people who create them, they have a much deeper meaning than surface beauty. African Masks are believed to embody the spirit and symbolize a message of wisdom, prosperity, security, and power. Stylish elements in a mask’s looks are codified by the tradition and may either identify a specific community or convey specific meanings. Putting on a mask is a transformative experience. It allows us to be someone we’re not for a moment, changing both how we see ourselves and how we behave outwardly. Many of us know this feeling from Halloween in America, but it’s a universal feeling shared across cultures throughout human history.

“Punu mask from the Punu tribe in Angola. The Punu reside in Angola. They belong to a nation of people known as Shira. They live in independent villages in which the Moukouji whose primary role was to subjugate evil and the destructive forces of the forest sprits ensured social cohesion. The Punu stylized beauty and delicate features of the Punu mask are said to represent the faces of their ancestors. There are may different types of Punu mask but the Punu’s use of white kaolin pigments suggest that this particular Punu mask was a depiction of a spirit – it might have been worn during funerals by the Moukouji initiates who would wear elaborate costumes made out of raffia or cotton to conceal their bodies and identities. The initiates would then take on the persona of the spirit for the duration of the ceremony. The Punu people of Cameroon, Gabon and the Congo produce some of the most strikingly beautiful masks in all of African art. The white faces or colors of green or yellow of many Punu Masks are intended to ward off evil spirits and witches. The tall & beautiful hairdos is a feature amongst Punu women & it signify that the woman is wealthy and never has to carry goods on her head. The mask represents the spirit of an ancestor and is commonly found throughout western and central Gabon. The white face represents the soul of an ancestor. In some cases scarification on foreheads are clearly visible. Each mask is an “”original”” work of art, individually hand carved, no two are exactly alike which adds to the value of each piece. The original nature of tribal art will be reflected by variances from the mask as shown, each piece of a specific style is similar, but not identical.”