Democratic Republic of Congo
Lele (Kuba)
Wood, cotton fiber, cowrie shells, rattan, hair, beads
Mid 20th century
Length: 20 in, Width: 9 in
Other – Regalia – Headdress

The Lele, live west of the Kasai River, and are believed to have come from the area of Lake Tumba and Lake Mai-Ndombe (formerly Lake Leopold) with the Kuba. They are a matrilineal society, organized around age grades.  The largest political system is the village, ruled nominally by the village chief who is the most senior male of the founding clan, but controlled by a balance of power between age sets. 

While Lele headdresses have a general likeness to the Kuba headdresses, there are still distinctive characteristic differences between them.  In particular, the Lele headdress displays a flattened face with its broad, flat planes cheeks and arched eyes and brows.  For both the Lele and Kuba, cowrie shells and glass beads were valuable trade goods and their use on this headdress denotes wealth and status.
Several theories on the use of the mask exist, including its use in dances for the funerary rites of a chief, and as one of three masks used in annual reenactments of the founding of the Lele people.  Masks are used in similar ways among the Kuba, who share a creation myth with the Lele.