A Fine and Powerful Binji Mask, Binji Peoples,Democratic Republic of the Congo

Binji Peoples, DRC,  20th Century

H: 23 inches, W: 14 inches, D: 12.5 inches

Material: Wood, Kaolin

The Binji ethnic group, numbering about 34,000, live among diverse ethnic peoples of Buyu, Bemba, Lega, and Bangubangu, in the vast area bordering eastern Kuba region of Democratic Republic of the Congo. The art forms of Binji craftsmen, such as masks, statues, and other objects are similar to that of Kuba art. A beautiful mask of this type, which was used for initiation of young boys into adulthood, may be the protoype of mask of the Kuba ethnic group. There is an obvious indigenous restoration on one side.