Hemba Gorilla mask

The costume of the dancer of the mwisi gwa so’o mask consists of a cloak made of tree bark, animal hide, and a wig and beard made from the white and black fur of the Colobus monkeys.
The masks with their apparently smiling mouth are the expression of rage and turmoil, and are reminiscent of the horror of death. The wild and violent dances which take place during funerals, demonstrate the concept of the Hemba of a disorderly and chaotic world of the departed