Duma (Adouma, Badouma), Gabon

Mvudi or yoyo ceremonial mask. The Duma, great boatmen, live in the southern part of the country, in the Ogooue River region, and their economy is connected to this river. They believe in a God who made the world, in an immortal soul and in retribution for evil; they worship spirits and ghosts, and are under the sway of sorcerers and secret societies, to which even the authority of their chiefs must yield. Remarkable are their masks with flat surface for face, domed forehead, and skillful interplay of flat, convex, and angular forms. The masks of the Duma are mostly polychrome. For the last half-century these masks have been used for celebratory dances associated with major social rituals. Their former role is less well documented. 

Material: wood

Size: H. 19”, W. 8½”, D. 4”