Punu Mukudji Ceremonial Mask from Gabon. Very Old.

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Punu Mukudji Ceremonial Mask from Gabon. Very Old.:
$290.00

This mask is a very old Mukudji mask carved and worn by the Punu ethnic group in Gabon. The wood is of a light weight type in good solid condition. Obvious insect damage but all in favor of its aesthetic and authenticity. How old the mask is I don\'t know. I originally bought this item a very long time ago from a seller here on who was in Germany. They inherited the item and knew nothing about traditional tribal art. I was told there was paper work with the item but they were not able to find it along with the other items they inherited that were also for sale. The Punu people still practice the same ceremonies and use the same masks in the performances today. You can find videos of performances on youtube of masked dancers on stilts wearing these masks. The coiffure is a of a style no longer used I have been told by other collectors. I don\'t know how long ago they abandon the double crested coiffure but I do believe sometime in the mid 20th century. The better quality literature on the Punu people and their performances is published in French which I do not speak. I know this mask was used in funerals and represents a spirit maiden. The grid patterns on the side of the head represent fish scales. I imagine these masks represent something that is marginally human. Germany does not have any colonial history with Gabon. So I imagine the mask has floated around Europe before it got into the hands of the original collector i bought it from. I don\'t know much about it. I wish I did. I hate to sell this item but I have to. Never seen another like it since. Beautiful item. There are still traces of white kaolin pigments on the face of the mask when it was originally polychrome.All of these masks are small. See them in performance on youtube. Size 12\" high x 7\" wide and 6\" deep.