HERE IS A WRITE UP ON THIS TYPE OF MASK
Kuba tribal wood carved helmet from the Republic of Congo. It is made mainly of wood
Helmet masks of this kind are known among the Bushoong as Bwoom.
This is one of the three so-called royal masks of the Kuba, the others
being the Mwaash a Mbouy and the Ngaady a Mwaash. In reality it
seems that the concept of a triad of "royal masks" has been grossly
oversimplified. In truth, the Kuba/Bushoong produce a diversity of
masks, and many can perform by themselves or in conjunction with
lesser known initiatory or village masks. The Bwoom mask is quite
possibly the autochthonous mask of the region, with variants in nearly
all of the Kuba sub-groups. Though Bushoong folk tales exist to
explain its appearance as a pygmy or a hydrocephalic, the mask may
have more in common with other large masculine helmet masks
dispersed over the wider general area. Unlike other Kuba masks such
as the Mwaash a Mbouy, which is usually buried with its owner, the
Bwoom may be passed down from one person to another. Thus it is
not unusual to find old–in some cases ancient–Bwoom masks still
being used by young dancers. This fine old mask has been rebeaded
on numerous occasions and displays the more archaic "blindfold"
style beading across the eyes, which in more modern examples
becomes thin and stylized.
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