Pende Female Mask

This pair of masks is tied to the mukanda initiation association. They are worn by graduates of the mukanda while performing with elaborate skirts to educate the novice. Representing ancestral spirits they mimic and satirize stereotyped behavior associated with different village characters, including the village chief. These elegant masks represent the chief and his wife. These masqueraders appeared as well during the agricultural cycle, symbolizing, like the village chief himself, the ancestors who ensured with their benevolent protection fertility, prosperity and well-being in the community's life. (Perani&Smith 1998:269-70).