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The small Woyo people live on the Atlantic Ocean coast, north of the estuary of the Zaire River. The Woyo possess a form of writing that has not yet been studied. A special application of this writing occurs in their "proverb covers," the lids of their realistically carved wooden "storied pots." Their sculpture includes masks of thendunga, a male society whose dances mark particular occasions including installations of tribal elders, funerals, celebrations, or the presence of great danger. They are also agents of social control that operate like secret police. These masks are worn with voluminous costumes of dried banana leaves that fully cover the dancers' body. As a general rule, the masks are polychrome. The open mouth reveals a decoratively filed incisor.
Just finished acting as a prop in a major motion picture about P.T. Barnum. The film "Greatest Showman on Earth" starring Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron and Michelle Williams will be released Dec 2017.
A stand is available for this mask $210 + shipping