Bembe Alunga mask / Buyu, DRC - Lot 194

Bembe Alunga mask / Buyu, DRC This African mask incarnating the god Alunga was used during the tribal rituals of the Kalunga male society, Alunga, exerting social control over the clan and responsible for public dances and ceremonies preceding the hunt. An evocation of a forest spirit, this mask was kept in sacred caves and displayed during festivals associated with hunting and ancestor worship. Grainy patina, cracks and chips at the top 28 x 17 cm Sold without base The Bembe ethnic group is an offshoot of the Luba, who are said to have left the Congo in the 18th century. Their society and artistic tendencies are marked by the influence of their neighbors from the Lake Tanganyika region, the Lega, the Buyu and others. Indeed, like the Lega, the Bembe had a bwami association responsible for initiation and structuring society, but while the bwami was exclusive among the Lega, other associations coexisted among the Bembe.