Marble
University of Notre Dame
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Gitenga Muganji Mask

Date

mid-20th century

Creator

Unrecorded Pende artist

Location

Raclin Murphy Museum of Art

Muganji masks were a group of ceremonial objects that guarded young men as they went through the process of initiation from childhood to adulthood. This style of mask, which symbolized the life-giving sun, appeared publicly at the end of an initiation to celebrate and introduce the newly initiated adult men to society.

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Muganji masks were a group of ceremonial objects that guarded young men as they went through the process of initiation from childhood to adulthood. This style of mask, which symbolized the life-giving sun, appeared publicly at the end of an initiation to celebrate and introduce the newly initiated adult men to society.
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  • Muganji masks were a group of ceremonial objects that guarded young men as they went through the process of initiation from childhood to adulthood. This style of mask, which symbolized the life-giving sun, appeared publicly at the end of an initiation to celebrate and introduce the newly initiated adult men to society.
  • Muganji masks were a group of ceremonial objects that guarded young men as they went through the process of initiation from childhood to adulthood. This style of mask, which symbolized the life-giving sun, appeared publicly at the end of an initiation to celebrate and introduce the newly initiated adult men to society.
Unrecorded Pende artist
mid-20th century
Apparel and Adornments
Plant fiber, feathers, clay pigment
2017.025.540
Congolese
initiations
Pende
Raclin Murphy Museum: 101A
26 x 26 1/2 x 8 1/2 in. (66.04 x 67.31 x 21.59 cm)
Bequest of Owen D. Mort Jr

Our collection information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. If you have spotted an error, please contact Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at RMMACollections@nd.edu.