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 evoke 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.
Pumbu is one of the three types of helmet masks owned by Pende chiefs, and is
considered the most dangerous. The performer dresses in the chief's garb and
brandishes a warrior's bow, arrow, and sword, symbolizing the chief's power to
make war and execute criminals (in pre-colonial times). The interlacing diamond
pattern signifies chiefship; the mask's white rimmed eyes express uncontrolled
anger. The mask appears only in times of social crisis, when the chief must
assert his authority. The performer must be restrained by ropes, and onlookers
are kept at a safe distance by young men wielding whips. At the end of the dance,
the mask breaks loose and kills a stray animal (chicken or goat) to display its deadly power. According to one scholar, "Pumbu depicts the courage that the chief must sometimes muster to address life-and-death issues."
The elephant mask, signifying kingship, is worn by members of the secret Kuosi society whose membership includes royalty, the wealthy title holders, and ranking warriors of the Bandjoun kingdom. The mask consists of long front and back panels, representing the elephant's trunk, and large floppy ears attached to the head. The fabric mask is richly decorated with black, white, and red beads in geometic patterns. Black denotes the relationship between the living and the dead. White refers to the ancestors and to potent medicines. Red symbolizes life, women, and the institution of kingship. The triangle designs represent leopard spots, the leopard and elephant being royal symbols among the Bamileke. The masks are worn together with other vestments by the men of the Kuosi society to display the kingdom's power and wealth during funeral ceremonies and public celebrations of kingship. As a regulatory society, the Kuosi members belonged to the royal court and enforced the laws of the kingdom.
