Although people typically employ masks as a means of concealment, that doesn’t mean they can’t be revealing. Rather than hiding their possessors’ true nature, the latest collection of African masks at the Fowler Museum promises instead to shed light on an intriguing African culture.
“Makishi: Mask Characters of Zambia,” located in the Fowler’s Focus Gallery, centers on the tradition of Mukanda, or the initiation of boys into manhood. This elaborate ritual features performers who bear several different types of makishi, or mask characters. The custom represents an integral aspect of daily life for the peoples of Zambia, Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The makishi gallery makes up the central component of the larger “Intersections” exhibit at the Fowler. Nestled at the end of this section, visitors first must pass through a number of colorful rooms housing artifacts from around the world in a stroll that prompts a more global mind-set among attendees before they even reach the main gallery.
In stark contrast to the maroon, violet and turquoise walls of the rest of “Intersections,” the makishi gallery contains surroundings of all white, so the 24 colored masks stand out more.
The masks, made of wood with paint, plant fiber, beads and cordage as accessories, reflect a fascinating culture dating between the 19th and 20th centuries. The aesthetics of the masks alone, however, might not be fully appreciated without the knowledge the museum provides about their use in the makishi coming-of-age tradition.
The gallery divides itself into feminine and masculine character masks. The information supplied below each mask explains how the various features of the mask allow viewers to categorize the makishi’s age, status and rank.
The masks also reveal a number of interesting tidbits about the culture’s views of beauty, gender and behavior.
One female mask with a great amount of tousled hair, strikingly realistic despite being composed of plant fibers, bears the title “Chiwigi,” which is a term for a young, vain woman.
Another mask, called “Nalindele,” or royal woman, presents a more eye-catching countenance. It is set apart from the chiwigi mask by the symbols on its face, usually a cross enclosed in a circle on each cheek to represent a high societal rank.
Masks of women from Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo differentiate themselves from those from Zambia by the filed teeth of the former, giving the masks fierce, alien expressions which ironically stand as marks of beauty for the culture.
On the opposite side, male masks find themselves separated into similar categories of tribal position. The masks of male royalty, however, stand in stark contrast to the feminine ones. Twice as large as any of the other masks on display, their threatening scowls are actually the village’s embodiment of power, fertility and wealth.
The tribes also reveal their interpretation of foreigners, mainly Europeans, through masks that parody with plainer features, pointy noses and ridiculous mustaches.
One makishi, plainer than its neighboring masks, nonetheless lends visitors insight into the spiritual beliefs of the culture. The mask, painted half red and white with no accompanying accessories, signifies the presence of both the negative and positive elements in nature.
Photographs of the various masks functioning in ceremonies line the walls, allowing viewers to see the masks applied in the villagers’ actual lives. The central back wall houses a television featuring the Mukanda performances, and the music of the ritual fuses with the visual components of the exhibit.
With this addition of movement and life, the makishi exhibit fully blends art, culture, music and visual activity into an immersing, revealing experience.
““ Laura Picklesimer
E-mail Picklesimer at lpicklesimer@media.ucla.edu.