Yombe (Bayombe, Mayombe, Mayumba, Yumbe), Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ceremonial mask. The 300,000 Yombe people live in the Lower Zaire River, the region very important in the artistic history of Black Africa. The country that the Yombe inhabit is covered by forest. Primary Yombe social divisions are based on membership in one of nine clans. All clans trace their heritage to Mbaangala who had nine daughters whose names are the same as the clan that each founded. Yombe peoples more readily affiliate with fellow clan members, and each clan has its own set of social and moral rules. Historically the Yombe recognized a supreme chief, but today there are instead localized land chiefs who act as supreme judges and maintain a great deal of religious power. The Yombe are artistically prolific people. Such masks played an integral role in the real-life drama of prosecuting antisocial acts in Yombe communities. In this context, these masks inspired confidence in the divination specialist’s (diphomba’s) ability to dispense justice and install fear in the minds of people with guilty consciences.

Material: wood, nails, glass, tissue

Size: 14½”x 10”x 7”

Price:   $255+$35 (S&H)                                                   [#M4Y9M753]