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Mask (Bwoom)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Among the Bushoong, the central Kuba group, the mask known as bwoom —most typically identified as the head of a hunter-gatherer—forms a triad with a female mask and another male mask. All three are protagonists in the reenactment of the foundation of the Kuba kingdom. Outside the capital, however, bwoom appears in different non-royal contexts, such as the men’s initiation society.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineMask (Bwoom), mid- to late 1800s. Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kuba-style carver. Wood and paint; overall: 43.3 x 31.2 x 28.3 cm (17 1/16 x 12 5/16 x 11 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, James Albert Ford Memorial Fund, 1935.304
