Provenance: Roger Londoy, collected before 1952
Click on thumb to expand,
click on it again to close.
Material: Wood, black & white pigments.
hight: 36 cm
Lega Bwami masks-Congo
The Lega people live
nearby the northern end of Lake Tanganyika on the banks of the Lualaba River in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo and are also known as the Warega.
Living in small village
groups they have no centralized authority but govern themselves through a
communal association known as Bwami. This association is composed of male and
female members who strive to achieve advancement in the various ranks of Bwami
in which advancement is dependent upon the initiates passing through a number of
ranks to achieve status and prestige and recognition as moral individuals.
For the Lega the ultimate
goal is to reach the uppermost level of Bwami where one would be recognized as a
Kindi, one who exercises moral suasion and is a leader in society. The complex
system of instruction, initiation and advancement in Bwami uses masks and
figures to document the various levels of Bwami and to serve as badges
validating the initiate s knowledge of the secrets of Bwami and of their rank.
Initiates earn the
privilege to wear and display masks that might be worn on their arms or faces or
simply exposed on racks or on the ground to other Bwami society members
indicating their rank.
Lega masks are usually
carved in a distinctive style, with a heart-shaped concave face with a slightly
protruding forehead, a narrow nose, slit eyes and a slightly open mouth. The
faces of the masks are rubbed with white clay (pembe) each time that they are
used and thereby acquire the white pagination that color the face and enhance
the various decorative designs as in this mask of dots around the face with
lines under the eyes.
Lega masks, known as
Lukwakongo, are relatively standardized in form however masks of particular
importance with ritual and symbolic distinction will have unique forms.
The social and political
life of the Lega (also known as the Warega) is regulated by the Bwami society,
to which both men and women belong. There are seven levels for men, four levels
for women. Most masks where used for initiation to one of the first two
levels of the Bwami society.
The white sections were
repainted with Pembe each time they were danced.
The masks where worn by
the initiates and also displayed on a fence.
Lega culture
For similar examples, and
more information, see ART OF AFRICA by Kerchache et al. Biebuyck, D. Lega
culture; art, initiation, and moral philosophy among a Central African people
1973.
See also my most
beautifull lega mask
+32
3 227.35.40 with your question and call back phone number and/or email and
we will call you back or 
P.S. : EXTRA
BONUS: If you buy the Lega horned mask today you will get a free one year
subscription to our 