Composite object: two whitened faces are carved into the base; in the center there is a wooden mask, elongated, with the face covered with greyish kaolin paste; arranged in a radial pattern in the outermost part, between the two concentric circles, there are eight male and female statuettes. There are also four heads on busts, one of which is larger and with a reddish patina, and two zoomorphic figures.
Masengo generally means 'heavy' in the sense of serious, dangerous, burdensome, cumbersome, and potentially bad on one side and sacred on the other. It refers to all items that are kept in the collective bags/baskets of bwami members.
The way these and other masks are used is extremely varied and linked to the particular meaning of the ritual that is formulated in a particular moment.
It comes from Kivu..
