The Suku inhabit the Southwest of the DRC. Their main economic resources are farming and hunting. In Suku society, boys’ coming-of-age preparation is the responsibility of the Nkanda association. In the seclusion of lodges located outside the village, boys between the ages of ten and fifteen years are taught the history and traditions of their people and undergo obligatory circumcision. They also learn the songs and dances that will be performed at their initiation ceremonies. Several different masks are used in the Nkanda graduation ceremonies.

Visit this mask at our museum web site and