Mask

Item number 3137/4 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

Public

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Data
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Description

Mask made of carved wood and cloth. Face is round and painted pink. A small chin set into a wide rounded jaw, mouth a small carved line with slightly protruding lips, under a small nose with prominent black nostrils. Eyes are also small, carved through the wood and rectangular in shape, topped with black fabric brows. Ears are large and pointed. A head covering of synthetic black fibre is sewn to the mask’s edges and surrounds the face.

History Of Use

Mask worn by a male initiate in the Nyau secret society. This group of masks (3137/1-7) were used in dances that occurred after the crops were harvested (July or August). The masked men, who represented ancestral spirits or unique characters, danced to depict certain behaviours, or characteristics. The dancers also wore costumes made of grass, leaves and coloured cloth, and sometimes had white ash covering their arms and legs. They were accompanied by drumming, as well as the chanting, singing and clapping of some of the senior women.

Narrative

The Butlers worked at Bunda College of Agriculture near Lilongwe, Malawi, in the 1970s. Robert Butler was invited to become a member of the Nyau secret society, and they were invited to Nyau (Gule Wamkulu) ceremonies and ritual dances (at a time when the dances were not yet performed for the public). The Butlers purchased the masks from members of the society during that time.