Songola House Mask Congo Rohner Collection

A black-and-white house mask by the Songola.

The Songola people have a rich artistic tradition of carving wood figures for their ceremonies. Some of these sculptures were reserved for the Songola high-ranking officials of the Bwami Society. Mixed by marriage with the Lega, Ngengele, and Zimba, the Songola are governed by the elders of their lineage. While the Songola people engage in wood carving, most of the objects associated with the Bwami cult come from the Lega people. 

Provenance: John R. Rohner Collection
Rohner, a museum curator for decades, aimed his practiced eye for authenticity to African art beginning in the early 1908s. His passion for this art only grew through the decades he built his collection––always with an aim for a broad and representative array of pieces. The collection appears in his book, Art Treasures from African Runners (2000, University Press of Colorado). 

Item #340 on pg. 165

156143