Pende Mask; Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa, 20th century

Pende mask; Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa, 20th century.
Wood with red, white and black pigments.
Measurements: 42.5 cm (height).
The oval of the face is decorated with black and white triangular motifs. It presents round mute mouth and headdress topped with two horns. The history of the Pende people can be traced, along with that of their neighbors Yaka and Suku, which placed them 500 years ago between the Atlantic coast and the Kwanza River (Cuanza) of present-day Angola. It is around the year 1620, when the expansionist pressure of the Lunda empire forces them to abandon their lands and migrate to their current territory. Two Pende groups are distinguished: a western group that lives to the east of the Yaka territory and an eastern group established on the western bank of the Kasai River. Although there are many cultural differences between the two, both are considered as belonging to the same ethnic group. Towards 1885, the Tchokwe expansion supposes their subjection to the vassalage of the same ones. The arrival of the Belgian colonialists stopped the Tchokwe expansion, saving temporarily the independence of the Pende people. They maintain the cult of the ancestors (mvumbi), whose spirits are appeased through rituals and offerings.