Product Description: Bushoong Moshambwooy Mask

Bushoong art is characterized by its use of geometric decoration and cowrie shells, and by the application of red cadwood pigment to their carvings.

From side profile: 9½ inches
Height/Length: 10 inches
Width across face: roughly 7½ inches

Age: approximately 40+ years.

Tribal History: Bushoong People

During the 16th centaury, the Kuba people migrated from the north and settled between the Sankura and Kasai Rivers. Today, they number 250,000,000 and are sub divided into a number tribes — the Bushoog, The Ngeende, the Kete, the Lele, the Ninji, the Dengese, the Mbuun and the Wongo. Each clan pays tribute to the Nyim, the king of the Bushoong ruling clan, but their internal affairs are dealt with autonomously. The Bushoong king and his court lived in a closed palace, known as the Mushenge. The king was responsible for the wealth and fecundity of his people.

The Kuba kingdom was founded in the 16th century by the Bushoong people. Today, they number about 17,000 and are still ruled by a king — the twenty-first to have held the title.

Bushoong carvers are best known for their 'king' figures, called Ndop, which have an apostrophic role in childbirth. Each figure portrays a king who can be in\identified through his totemic animal, which is placed in front of him.

Availability: Usually ships in 3-4 business days.

$225.00

*This item is ONE OF A KIND!  Once ordered it is removed from our inventory listings.

Product descriptions adapted from similar ones in The Tribal Arts of Africa written by Jean-Baptiste Bacquart

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