MAKONDÉ, Tanzania. - Lot 257

MAKONDÉ, Tanzania. Important and very old belly mask showing the bust of a pregnant woman, the round belly surmounted by a juvenile breast. Polychrome wood, old patinas, internal signs of use. Dimensions: 52 × 30 cm Belly masks (lipiko djambe in some sources) belong to the Makonde repertoire of Tanzania and northern Mozambique. Worn exclusively by men during male initiation ceremonies (mapiko), they were attached to the dancer's belly, often complementing a face mask. The staging thus combined the performer's body with the sculpted figure, creating the illusion of a hybrid creature. These feminine effigies, marked by the pregnant womb and budding breasts, symbolized fertility and continuity of lineage, and reminded initiates of their original dependence on motherhood. The dance of these masks underlined both the power of transmission and the need for ritual passage into adulthood.