This female mask is least flamboyant of the Kuba Royal Triad Masks, the Kuba Queen Nagadia Mwash and Sister/Wife to Mukenge Mwaash, the Kuba King, this fibre and textile mask with the raised headdress is adorned with cowrie shells, beads and geometric tattoo patterns throughout the face as a symbol of beauty.

These masks are not only revered as a piece of history and work of art, they are used for dancing in ritualized ceremonies honoring and portraying the origins of the Kuba Kingdom. The legend of  the Kuba King, Mwaash/Woot the first Kuba King is that all Kuba descended from him.  Mwaash married Nagadia Mwash who represents both the wife and sister of the King and the object of his brother, Mboma whose desire was to own and grab the power from Mwaash.

The Mboma is an essential part of the royal mask trilogy which includes Mboma or Bwoom the brother of the King and Ngadia Mwash, the Kuba Queen. The Mboma, a commoner, is fighting the King for the Kingdom and the Kuba Queen.

This mask has been well preserved.

The Kuba Tribe is in the Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire.

Approximate Dimensions: 10" H X 6.5" W