The Punu are equatorial forest peoples live along the Ogowe
and Ngounie River region of southwest Gabon.
The
hairstyles of the Okuyi masks recall the way the
women did their hair.
The
dancers walked on stilts, hidden beneath a mass of
cloth. Although the features are the Punu ideals of
female beauty, white is the color of death. Worn by
men, the mask represesnts the spirit of a dead person
and appears chiefly during mourning ceremonies.
Height: 14 ½" x Width: 8 ¼" x Depth: 5 ½"
