Mask

The Holo people, like their Yaka and Suku neighbors, live in the Bandundu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and inhabit the Savannah north of the Angolan border.

Like many other Southeastern Congolese people, the Holo practice a form of initiation that circumcises the boys and teaches them the social customs and religious thought. Most of these societies are variants on the Nkhanda /Mukanda/Nkaan initiatory systems found throughout the region.

This initiatory society is found in various forms and utilizes masks in almost all contexts. Among the Holo particularly, the most common masks are related to Suku ‘hamba’ masks, and are worn by the boys themselves at various stages during their initiation.

The bell shaped mask is made of a hollowed out single block of wood that completely covers the head of the dancer.

Unlike the Yaka and Suku, the masks of the Holo most often have no surmounting imagery, and merely have a specific coiffure. In fact, it may sometimes be the case that masks of the Suku from certain areas that are simply carved are mistaken for Holo objects, and this may indeed be the case here. Ultimately however, it makes very little difference as the peoples grade into one another at the frontiers of their territories anyway.

This mask is a fine example of a Holo or Suku mask; the face being well carved and pigmented, and the overall use of coloration quite fine and powerful.