Hans Himmelheber
The long building of the circumcision camp can be seen behind the initiation mask

Pende region, 1939, b/w negative
Museum Rietberg Zürich, FHH 190-27

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Hans Himmelheber
Masked performance on stilts

Pende region, 1939, b/w negative
Museum Rietberg Zürich, FHH 192-4

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Hans Himmelheber
Masked performance on stilts

Pende region, 1939, b/w negative
Museum Rietberg Zürich, FHH 192-5

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Hans Himmelheber
Masked performance on stilts

Pende region, 1939, b/w negative
Museum Rietberg Zürich, FHH 192-6

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Artist of the eastern Pende region
Kinjinga/munyangi mask with feathers

Before 1939, wood, pigments, feathers, cowries and textiles, 69 × 42 × 62 cm
Museum Rietberg Zürich, HH 30
Gift of Barbara and Eberhard Fischer
Acquired by Hans Himmelheber

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Artist of the eastern Pende region
Kambanda mask with woman’s face

Before 1939, wood, pigments, plant fibers, and brass nails, 32 × 35 × 30 cm
Museum Rietberg Zürich, HH 21a
Gift of Barbara and Eberhard Fischer
Acquired by Hans Himmelheber

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Artist of the central Pende region
Male mask

Before 1939, wood, pigments, and plant fibers, 40 × 26 × 24 cm
Museum Rietberg Zürich, HH 20
Gift of Barbara and Eberhard Fischer
Acquired by Hans Himmelheber

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Mukanda pende Abb 6 III 9178

Artist of the Kwilu-Pende region
Gitenga mask

Before 1939, rattan, raffia, feathers, 94 × 64 × 12 cm
Museum der Kulturen Basel, III 9178
Acquired by Hans Himmelheber

Hans Himmelheber
Big, white eyes were equated with unbound anger

Pende region, May 24, 1939, b/w negative
Museum Rietberg Zürich, FHH 190-29

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Hans Himmelheber
Performance of a mbuya mask with leaves and raffia costume

Pende region, 1939, b/w negative
Museum Rietberg Zürich, FHH 192-12

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Hans Himmelheber
Performance of a mbuya mask with leaves and raffia costume

Pende region, 1939, b/w negative
Museum Rietberg Zürich, FHH 192-13

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Hans Himmelheber
Performance of a mbuya mask with leaves and raffia costume

Pende region, 1939, b/w negative
Museum Rietberg Zürich, FHH 192-14

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Artist of the central Pende region
Male mask

Before 1939, wood, pigments, and plant fibers, 31 × 23 × 17 cm
Museum Rietberg Zürich, 2016.152
Gift of Barbara and Eberhard Fischer
Acquired by Hans Himmelheber

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Artist of the eastern Pende region
Kiwoyo horizontal mask

Before 1939, wood, pigments, and plant fibers, 64 × 18 × 22 cm
Museum Rietberg Zürich, HH 18
Gift of Barbara and Eberhard Fischer
Acquired by Hans Himmelheber

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Artist of the central Pende region
Horizontal mask in the style of giwoyo

Before 1939, wood, pigments and plant fibers, 53.5 × 22 × 37 cm
Museum Rietberg Zürich, HH 17
Gift of Barbara and Eberhard Fischer
Acquired by Hans Himmelheber

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Artist of the eastern Pende region
Kipoko helmet mask

Before 1939, wood, pigments, 28.5 × 30 × 35 cm
Museum Rietberg Zürich, 2016.151
Gift of Barbara and Eberhard Fischer
Acquired by Hans Himmelheber

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Pende Initiation Masks: Art That Makes Men out of Boys

Michaela Oberhofer
17.03.2023

Hans Himmelheber’s visit to the Congo in 1938/39 happened to coincide with the initiation ceremony (mukanda) in the Pende region, which only takes place once every ten years. The young boys would live in the bush, away from their mothers and separated from the civilized world of the villages, where they would learn dances, songs, or craft skills while also acquiring the secret knowledge that was the preserve of the men [see essay by Zoë S. Strother in the exhibition catalog "Congo as Fiction"]. At the end of their communal experiences, the boys were prepared for their role as men in society. Various types of masks accompanied the boys during this long period of trials and dangers.1 Hans Himmelheber visited the camp where the circumcisions were carried out and photographed the dances of these masked figures. As the masks were considered worthless after use, he was able to purchase whole series of these bright red initiation masks.

It is possible to differentiate between female, male, and hypermasculine Pende masks.2 The feminine is idealized as peaceful, self-controlled, and social. Hot energy, creativity, and strong emotions are seen as male—extending to uncontrolled rage and aggression in the case of the hypermasculine. These characteristics are also identifiable in the masks. The female mask shown here has a flat forehead, round eyebrows, and most importantly the expression with lowered lids known as zanze, which was considered particularly beautiful and seductive. In contrast, the male mask conveys an aggressive impression: the face is angular and chiseled, the eyes look out vigilantly from under their lids, and the lip is pursed as if the mask—according to the Pende’s interpretation—was about to start yelling.

A mask of which one had to be much more wary is the gitenga mask in the form of a disk. The round, open eyes were described as “dangerous.” Armed with a whip like all initiation masks, the gitenga mask had not only social responsibilities but also police duties, and was able to punish the initiands and villagers if they breached the rules. The pumbu mask of the eastern Pende was reserved for especially powerful chiefs and its wide-open eyes made it exceptionally terrifying.

Photographs show that many Pende masks, such as this male mask, were worn horizontally—contrary to our viewing habits. This also applies to kiwoyo or giwoyo masks. Often mistaken for a beard by Western observers, the latter in fact depict a body laid out horizontally as for burial. This type of mask was naturally associated with the realm of the dead.

Among the most important village masks by the eastern Pende were the chiefs’ kipoko crest masks. Kipoko danced at important community rituals like the appointment of a new village chief and represented the connection to the world of the dead. Furthermore, the kipoko also played an important role in the circumcision camps. At the end of the initiation, the boys had to grab something to eat from the edge of this imposing mask—the ultimate test—in order to be accepted in society as full-fledged men.

Source:
Oberhofer, Michaela: Pende Initiation Masks: Art That Makes Men out of Boys. in Nanina Guyer and Michaela Oberhofer (Ed.): Congo as Fiction. Art Worlds Between Past and Present. Zurich: Museum Rietberg / Scheidegger & Spiess, 2019

Download: Exhibition Catalog "Congo as Fiction" (PDF)

1

Strother 1988.

2

See Strother 2008, pp. 23–28.