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Key Moments in Life: Death and Rebirth 2 |
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Each of these steps may require the use of art: masks may appear to honor the deceased or to reenact sacred stories of the encounters between spirits and the ancestors, and figures may be placed on shrines dedicated to the ancestors' memory, receiving sacrifices to assure their blessings or watching over sacred ancestral relics to protect them from evil forces. The Bushoong mask seen here is called Nyata a Masheke and was used at the funerals of the highest titleholders in the royal court. |
Bushoong people, Congo (Zaire) |
