In Central Africa, on the territory of the Gabonese Republic and the Republic of the Congo, the Punu people live. Punu tribes build their settlements near rivers and high roads, are engaged in agriculture, pottery, and painting. In every village there are craftsmen who create mukudj ritual masks. They are worn by dancers performing complex movements and acrobatic tricks on stilts after the birth of a new child or during a funeral.
Each mask embodies the spirit of the ancestor, and its appearance represents the puna ideal of feminine beauty. One of the copies, which is stored in the Museum of Cultural Masks: Second Face in the United States, is made of wood and covered with kaolin clay. The diamond pattern on the forehead emphasizes the symmetry of the face with narrow almond-shaped eyes, curved eyelids, a graceful nose and a protruding mouth.
Mukuj masks were first discussed at the beginning of the 20th century. Some art historians believed that the aesthetics of Asia influenced the appearance of the products. In fact, this art is characteristic of the indigenous people of Gabon. In the 1920s, masks became popular with collectors, and artists were also interested in them, as some abstract attributes intersected with the ideals of experimental art movements. Today they are used in interiors as an exotic decoration.
