The Lele make masks that have much in common, both visually and functionally, with those of their neighbors in the central Kuba kingdom, but are much rarer. Such masks appear principally at the funerals of chiefs and elders but are also used in annual performances that celebrate and teach the history of Lele origins and migrations.

Ritual Mask
carved wood, pigment
Kuba (Lele subgroup)
late 19th century
DRC, Africa

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