Mask from the Punu people of Gabon, Central Africa

Did you ever see a circus clown on stilts? If not, it’s easy to picture.  Imagine a performer; their face painted white, wearing a sequined top hat, bright shirt, giant bow tie, and dazzling red suspenders attached to shiny striped pants with legs so long they appeared to be twelve feet tall. Now take away the costume, substitute the circus with a dusty African village, and replace the face paint with a beautifully sculpted white mask and you’ll have a picture of this week’s New Arrival in use.

This Punu Mask, although worn over time by use, still has much of its white pigment

Featured this week is a mask from the Punu people in Gabon, West Africa. Called a mukudj, it depicts a beautiful Punu woman with a white face; white being the color associated with their ancestors. It is one of the most realistic, life-like masks in all of African art. Now, imagine a dancer on stilts wearing this mask, skipping, leaping, twirling and swooping, reminding the crowd of enthusiastic villagers that their ancestors stand tall and watch over them at all times.      

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