The Punu live in the southern region of Gabon and are known and renowned for their white ‘Okuyi masks’ (or ‘Mukudji masks’). These white coloured masks represent a ‘beautiful girl’, who comes from the afterlife on a benevolent visit to the living. The ‘Okuyi masks’ are worn by men during the day, who stand on 2 metre high stilts (see cat. no. 80).
Much rarer, however, are the black Punu masks, called ‘Ikwara’ masks or also ‘Ikwara mokulu’ (‘night masks’).
These only appear at dusk or during the night. They are worn at gatherings, at rituals for the administration of justice or if the Punu society is threatened by ill-fortune, illness, witchcraft, epidemics, or criminality. ‘Ikwara masks’ should offer protection and divert evil. The black masks are stylistically carved very similarly to the white ‘Okuyi masks’. Like the white masks, they are always made of lightweight, light-coloured wood and have the same, ‘Asiatic’ looking, narrow slit eyes (this eye form, however, has nothing to do with Japanese No masks). The ‘Ikwara’ masks are coloured black with plant-dye and are only used by dancers at night, on stilts up to 1 metre in height.
The present, beautiful, black ‘Ikwara’ mask conforms completely to the Punu style. It displays, centrally above, a single high middle crest as hairstyle, lined with fine parallel lines in relief, with two offset plaits at left and right. Even the middle line of the hairstyle, at the very top, is decorated with geometric chip-carving relief. Beneath a diagonal band, the bulging forehead displays the typical tribal scarification marks: a lozenge containing nine small rectangles, dyed red. Below follow the high raised eyebrows carved in relief, above the ‘Asiatic’ and slightly bordered eyes, as well as the short, slightly curved nose. On this black ‘Ikwara’ mask, the inside of the typically shaped Punu ears and the closed, full and ‘sensuous’ mouth are also red. The ‘Ikwara’ was tied to the head of the dancer by means of the two side holes on the rim of the mask, and the mask costume was pulled over the broad rim and attached. Overall a good, typical example of a black ‘Ikwara mask’ of the Punu. With colour scuffing due to age, in various places, in the face and a slight crack along the left side of the wide, posterior rim of the mask. This crack has been partially restored (glued). Otherwise no damage. With a convincing patina on the inside on the back, with shiny, smooth areas where the forehead, cheeks and chin of the mask dancer often rubbed against it.
Height: 32 cm; width: 22 cm.
First half of the 20th century. (ME)

Provenance:
Austrian private collection.

Lit.:
‘Les Lumbu. Un art sacré’ by Charlotte Grand-Dufay, ill. 24, 37, 38, 39; ‘Punu’ by Louis Perrois and Charlotte Grand-Dufay, ill. 22, 23, 31, 47.