Salampasu
Democratic Republic of CongoMask, 20th century
Not on view
Wood, wicker
Dimensions16 × 11 1/2 in. (40.6 × 29.2 cm)
Museum purchase with funds from the Collection Endowment, 2021.5
The Salampasu people have a reputation as fearless warriors and masks are an integral part of their culture and the community’s warrior society. Boys initiated into the warrior society rise through the ranks by gaining access to a hierarchy of masks and the knowledge associated with each one. Initiation masks like this one feature a bulging forehead, slanted eyes, triangular nose, and a rectangle mouth with pointed teeth. The boys file the mask’s teeth as an important part of their rite of passage, indicating strength and discipline. The knotted fiber balls, representing hair and beard, are also associated with strength and adds to the intimidating aspect of the mask.
A small tribe north of the Balunda and west of the Bakete tribes, the Salampasu produce different types of masks. One is made of netting with a superstructure of twigs, the second type is characterized by a heavy, domed, hemispherical forehead, with prominent triangular nose, pierced eyes in square or triangular form, pierced mouth (often rectangular) with teeth showing.
