🎭✨ PENDE MASK ✨🎭

A wooden mask from the Pende ethnic group, featuring red (tokula) and yellow pigments, traditionally used in rituals and ceremonies.

📐 Height: 41 cm
🌍 Ethnic Group: Pende (also known as Phende)
📆 Origin: Southwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Cultural & Historical Significance

The Pende people, estimated at over 250,000, are closely related to the Yaka and Suku ethnic groups. Originally settled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Kwanza River, they later migrated to the Democratic Republic of the Congo around 1620, following the Lunda Empire’s expansion.

By 1885, the Chokwe ethnic group gained control over the Eastern Pende, a dominance that lasted until European colonization and the creation of the Congo Free State.

The Pende language (Kipende) remains an integral part of their cultural identity, and they are particularly known for their exceptional artistic craftsmanship, including masks and sculptures used in ceremonies, initiations, and social rituals. 🎨🌿