The moshambwooy mask represents the primal ancestor Woot, the first human and bringer of civilization, who founded the ruling Bushoong dynasty of the Kuba kingdom. Each Kuba king and sub-chief owns a Moshambwooy mask and wears it ceremonially, thus presenting his dynastic legitimacy . The king wears this mask during royal ceremonies and at boy's initiation rites when he receives homage from the nobility and people of his kingdom. The mask's rich decoration of cowrie shells, beads, and leopard skin indicates its royal status. White fur, missing on this mask, is attached below the chin of the mask to signify the wisdom that rulers gain from experience. The mask is part of a full body costume, made of blue and white colored beads (blue signfies high rank, white signifies purity), cowrie shells, leopard skins, and feathers of eagles and parrots to display the king's unique wealth and status. The king's dance is slow and stately, as befits a man full of gravity and wisdom. When kings died, the mask was placed on a royal effigy to represent him, and kings where often buried with the mask.
Ngady aMwaash portrays Mweel, Woot's beautiful sister and wife (alternatively, mother), and who represents women in general. The mask is striking with its stong pattern of white and black triangles painted on the face, which are said to represent hearthstones and domesticity. Lines painted down the cheeks represent tears and recall the pain of death, for royal masks often appear in funerary contexts. The tears also denote the hardship of a woman's life as a "pawn" of male authority -- befitting the mask's name (Ngady aMwaash), which means "pawn woman of Mwaash," her husband/brother king . The Ngady amwaash and Moshambwooy masks dance together on ceremonial occasions with great dignity and pride.
The elephant mask, signifying kingship and wealth, was worn by the powerful members of the Kuosi regulatory society, which included members of royalty, wealthy title holders, and ranking warriors of the Bandjoun kingdom of western Cameroon. The bead-embroidered cloth mask consists of long front and back panels, representing the elephant's trunk, and two large circular ears attached to the head. The mask's lavish use of colored beads displayed the wealth of the members of the Kuosi society; and its colors and patterns expressed the society's cosmic and political functions. Black denotes the relationship between the living and the dead. White refers to the ancestors and potent medicines. Red symbolizes life, women, and the institution of kingship. The dominant triangle designs represent leopard spots, the leopard being a royal symbol of power and mastery like the elephant. The members of the Kuosi regulatory society belonged to the royal court and enforced the laws of the kingdom in all spheres of life. The society gathered together during funeral ceremonies of its members and for public celebrations of kingship to display the Bandjoun kingdom's power and wealth.
