Initiation Mask

Description

Worn during male initiation rites called Mukanda, this mask, Chizuka, is believed to represent the chief's ancestral spirit. Masked rituals are an important feature of the Mukanda, or initiation during which boys are circumcised and subjected to a series of tests that mark their passage into adult male society. Chikuza is the most important spirit at the Mukanda ceremonies. It is purposefully grotesque, for as a representation of supreme authority, it is meant to terrify. In the course of the dance, Chikuza uses a willow whip to chase away the uninitiated and to chastise boys not properly serious about the rites.