Mask (Mwaash aMbooy)

The Mwaash aMbooy mask personifies Wóót, mythical ancestor of the Kuba peoples. Kings and dancers performed this mask during initiations and funerals. One performance told the story of Wóót’s role in the Kuba kingdom's founding and his ties to its first ruler. Mwaash aMbooy’s physical features underscore an ideal Kuba leader’s traits. Its monkey-fur beard symbolizes wisdom. The cowrie shells were a royal privilege and a sign of wealth. They also reference how Wóót stole the creator god’s bead-and-cowrie-covered basket of knowledge. Its costume evoked royal regalia. While Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of George Washington, on view nearby, turned an individual into an icon, the Wóót mask connected a Kuba ruler to his dynastic past.