masquerade-mask
- Museum number
- Af1993,09.53
- Description
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Face-shaped mask (chadzunda) for Nyau masquerade made of wood covered with shiny black paint. Eyeballs of paper applied to inside of mask; teeth made of corn ? kernels. Inner eye and eyebrows painted white. Moustache of animal hair. Deep lines on forehead and from nose. Ears placed low on side of head. Back of mask covered with animal hair. Natural-coloured synthetic cloth attached to mask at back, further layer of synthetic cloth sewn to front below chin. Floral silk cloth, torn in places, lays on top of this. Metal coathanger, painted white, protrudes from top of skin, rest of coathanger bent inside mask.
- Production date
- 20thC(late)
- Dimensions
-
Height: 52 centimetres
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Width: 29 centimetres
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Depth: 16 centimetres
- Curator's comments
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For depictions of Nyau masks in Malawi rock art see:
2013,2034.19727-19729
2013,2034.19852-19864
2013,2034.10966-19869
2013,2034.19873-19877
2013,2034.19879-19887
2013,2034.19890-19895
2013,2034.1908-19922
2013,2034.20052-20053
2013,2034.20274-20281
2013,2034.20286-20287
2013,2034.20303-20311
2013,2034.20317
2013,2034.20374-20378
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Chadzunda, a black carved wooden mask represents a village Chief, and is expected to be a portrait, an actual physiognomic likeness of a Chief.
As a leader of the people he represents power in his role as Chief, lineage in the matrilineal succession of the chieftaincy, and unity in keeping the village together as a whole, as one group of related peoples living together. However, his power is not absolute, nor as strong as the neighbouring Ngoni chief, whose rule is firmer. In comparison to Ngoni and other patrilineal society chiefs, Chadzuna reflects a poor chief of little or no account.
Chadzunda is depicted as an old man with deeply carved furrows on his forehead. As a mask form, Chadzunda assumes a senior role of aged wisdom, but at the same time an ageing chief who is likely to be succeeded at any time. Within the social role of this mask there lies an ambiguity, that of a powerful and coveted position of authority and the realisation that the Chew chief is thin, lean and of little authority compared to the war-like strength of their Ngoni neighbours and once-enemies (de Aguilar, 1996:85)
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See Collection File Af,1993.09. Collection made by the vendor during a period of fieldwork in Malawi; mask collected in 1985; vendor states approximately 25 years old. Nyau is a men's semi-secret masked association whose major function is to perform masquerades at funerary ceremonies.
- Location
- Not on display
- Condition
- Fair; silk cloth is torn.
- Acquisition date
- 1993
- Department
- Africa, Oceania and the Americas
- Registration number
- Af1993,09.53