Chokwe Artist, Angola,“Mask”, 20th century. Wood, fiber, metal, and pigment, 10 inches, Fred and Rita Richman Collection, 2002.294, High Museum of Art, Atlanta. © High Museum of Art, Atlanta.

In Chokwe communities of the southern savannah region of central Africa, ancestral spirits known as makishi return to this world as animate beings to instruct the living.

During the initiations of young men, makishi take the form of masks to transmit knowledge from generation to generation.

Today ancestral spirit masks perform not only at initiations but also at political rallies, during national elections, and even outside prisons to give hope and spiritual support to inmates.

Chokwe Artist, Angola, “Tobacco Mortar”, 19th century. Wood, leather, and brass tacks, 6 inches, Fred and Rita Richman Collection, 2002.296, High Museum of Art, Atlanta. © High Museum of Art, Atlanta.

Bright, shiny brass tacks augment the glowing patina of this exceptionally elaborate mortar, whose support is in the form of a trader riding on an ox. During the nineteenth century, brass tacks such as these, obtained through trade with Europeans, were rare and quite costly in Chokwe communities and were associated with high social rank. Tobacco had a similar association and was reserved for elders and for men and women of privileged status. Tobacco had both social and ritual importance among the Chokwe and the neighboring peoples of central, eastern, and southern Africa. In Chokwe communities, tobacco was smoked and inhaled as snuff in ceremonial contexts to honor the memory of lineage ancestors. The Chokwe consider the act of smoking helpful in establishing communication between celebrated ancestors, guardian spirits, and living generations.

Chokwe Artist, Angola, “Thumb Piano”, Late 19th to early 20th century. Wood and metal, 5 1/4 x 2 1/2 x 1 1/4 inches, Fred and Rita Richman Collection, 72.40.172, High Museum of Art, Atlanta. © High Museum of Art, Atlanta.

In Chokwe communities of the southern savannah region of central Africa, oral historians sing the praises of accomplished individuals, recount past events, and comment on current situations. The music of thumb pianos and stringed instruments often accompanies their songs. This thumb piano, decorated with a diminutive, mask-like face, is unusually small and easily portable. The thumb piano—also called an mbira, sanza, likembe, or kalimba—is played throughout much of Africa and the African Diaspora. Thumb piano music has gained international fame, popularized by musicians such as Stella Rambisai Chiwese, a Shona artist from Zimbabwe. Her music bridges two worlds; she performs the role of maridzambira, singing and playing in traditional trance rituals, while recording and appearing for international audiences. Her music is known for its extraordinary hypnotic power.

Chokwe Artist, Angola, “Whistle”, Late 19th –early 20th century. Wood, 4 x 1 1/2 x 1 3/4 inchesn, Fred and Rita Richman Collection, 72.40.128, High Museum of Art, Atlanta. © High Museum of Art, Atlanta.

Chokwe men use small whistles like this to communicate with one another and with their dogs while hunting. This whistle is decorated with the image of chikunza, a mukanda mask made of barkcloth over an armature of wicker, identifiable by its tall conical headdress. Mukanda is an institution found throughout much of Central Africa, responsible for transmitting religion, art, and social organization from generation to generation. The chikunza masquerade represents a stern, old man, recognized as the father of masks, the father of initiation, and the master of the mukanda lodge, where initiation events take place. Chikunza, as protector of hunters and of women in childbirth, is associated with goodness, plenty, success, and fertility.