Initiation mask – Wood, Copper, Seeds – Salampasu – Congo

Authentic wooden mask from the Salampasu tribe of DR Congo. Stunning and frightning Salampasu mask. The wooden mask is covered with thin copper plates and red seeds (Abrus precatorius).

SALAMPASU masks are famous and are characterized by a bulging forehead, slanted eyes, a triangular nose and a rectangular mouth displaying filed teeth. This wooden mask has a beautiful coiffure. It was used for initiation ceremonies related to the warriors` society. (The Tribal Arts of Africa, Jean-Baptiste Bacquart, p180)

The 60,000 SALAMPASU people live on the frontier between the D.R. Congo and Angola.

The mask is in good condition and has a powerful appearance.

The red seeds are commonly known as jequirity bean or rosary pea and is a plant best known for its red seeds; these are valued throughout Africa for their bright red coloration and used as a decorative element on masks and statues, in jewellery, and in percussion instruments. While the leaves of the Abrus precatorius are consumed as a vegetable in central and east Africa, its seeds are very poisonous.