© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University

ClassificationsAfrican Art

Ceremonial Axe

Place CreatedDemocratic Republic of the Congo, Africa

CultureSongye

Datelate 19th Century

MediumWood, copper, iron

Credit LineEx coll. William S. Arnett

Dimensions15 3/16 x 11 x 1 15/16 in. (38.5 x 28 x 5 cm)

Object number1994.004.084

Label TextIn the southern regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo, northern Zambia and throughout Angola, masks are often present at mukanda, a pan-ethnic term for the initiation schools where boys undergo rites of passage into young adulthood. Central to mukanda are ancestral spirits (mukishi) who come to life through masks in order to entertain and instruct initiates. White-faced, bell-shaped helmet masks called hemba, presented as part of a male and female pair, perform to ensure the initiate's future success in hunting. This hemba mask exhibits female attributes (the heavy crescent-shaped eyelids and small oval mouth revealing no teeth). Animals commonly carved on top of hemba include birds, antelope, and monkeys, although this example seems more canine.
Exhibition HistoryThe Art of Collecting: Recent Acquisitions at the Michael C. Carlos Museum, Michael C. Carlos Museum, November 8, 1997 - January 4, 1998
MCCM Permanent Collection Installation, Rotation 3, September 26, 1998 - Spring 2003
MCCM Permanent Collection Installation, July 19, 2003 - March 13, 2007

ProvenanceEx coll. William Arnett (1939-2020), Atlanta, Georgia.

Status

Not on view

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