REGION: Africa
COUNTRY: Zambia
YEAR PRINTED: 1970
VALUE: 15 ngwee
This stamp, issued by the Zambian government in 1970, is one of a set celebrating the cultural ceremonies of the peoples of Zambia. This one depicts a Kuomboka masquerade of the Lozi people, to celebrate as the king of the nation travels from his dry season palace to his wet season palace up the Zambezi River.
REGION: Africa
COUNTRY: Zambia
YEAR PRINTED: 1970
VALUE: 15 ngwee
This stamp, issued by the Zambian government in 1970, is one of a set celebrating the cultural ceremonies of the peoples of Zambia. This one depicts a Makishi mask of the Chokwe people.
REGION: Africa
COUNTRY: Zambia
YEAR PRINTED: 1992
VALUE: 30 kwachas
This stamp is one of a set issued by the Zambian government in 1992 to celebrate the country’s traditional masks. This stamp depicts the maliya mask of the Chewa people, used in the Nyau Secret Society dances. This particular mask represents the spirit of a kind female ancestor, who will sing and dance with the village.
REGION: Africa
COUNTRY: Zambia
YEAR PRINTED: 1992
VALUE: 2 kwachas
This stamp is one of a set issued by the Zambian government in 1992 to celebrate the country’s traditional masks. This stamp depicts the chizaluke mask of the Lwena (also called Luvale) people, used in the fwifwi dance performed at the end of the Makishi (adult initiation) ceremony.
REGION: Africa
COUNTRY: Zambia
YEAR PRINTED: 1992
VALUE: 10 kwachaa
This stamp, issued by the Zambian government in 1992, celebrates the mwanapweu, more often written mwana pwo, mask of the Chokwe people, who inhabit Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zambia. The mask represents a beautiful young woman and is used to invoke the spirit of a female ancestor during entertainment dances at festivals.
REGION: Africa
COUNTRY: Zambia
YEAR PRINTED: 1992
VALUE: 1 kwacha
This stamp, issued by the Zambian government in 1992, celebrates the kasinja mask of the Chewa people. This mask is used by the Nyau Secret Society during funeral ceremonies, to represent the messenger of important ancestors. He sometimes plays a narrator in the dance drama, introducing the masked characters coming next to perform the dance.
REGION: Africa
COUNTRY: Zambia
YEAR PRINTED: 1981
VALUE: 1 ngwee
This stamp is depicts a traditional Chokwe mask maker creating a Cikunza mask. The Chokwe people are spread over Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zambia. The Zambian Chokwe are known in particular for the Cikunza masks, used by men’s secret societies for adult initiation rituals and to prepare for a prosperous hunt.
TITLE: Chokwe Cikunza
TYPE: helmet mask
GENERAL REGION: Africa
COUNTRY: Zambia
ETHNICITY: Chokwe
DESCRIPTION: Cikunza Mask for the Makishi Dance
CATALOG ID: AFZM001
MAKER: Unknown
CEREMONY: Adult Initiation; Hunting; Secret Society
AGE: ca. 1990s
MAIN MATERIAL: burlap
OTHER MATERIALS: wood; pigments; string
The populous Chokwe people of Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zambia are known as some of the most skilled wood carvers in Africa. They resisted colonization far longer than most peoples of the region, despite repeated incursions by the Portuguese and other Europeans.
The Chokwe use masks in many contexts. The makishi (dead) dance is performed at the end of adult initiation rituals for boys, called mukanda, primarily in Zambia. The cikunza mask represents an ancestor and is worn by an older man to teach boys the knowledge they will need as men, particularly relating to hunting and sexual relationships. Unlike most African masked dancers, the cikunza does not wear a raffia fiber suit, but instead paints his body in bright geometric patterns. After the boys are circumcised, the newly minted adults remove the masks from their relatives and swear an oath to maintain the secrets of their identities.
