ZOMBO SCULPTURE 123 the nose. A horizontal line runs from the nostrils over the cheeks, separating the lower face from the whitened eye zone (a scarification pattern known among the Nkanu as n’ganzi). The major differences among these eight masks lie in the diverging polychrome decoration, the appended elements, and the form of the headdresses. Because of the refined physiognomic traits of most of the Zombo masks, it is difficult to distinguish female and male representations. It is likely that the mask in fig. 10 references a female hairstyle that was in fashion among the Zombo or a neighboring people at the time of or before it was created.21 Does it also evoke a female character that can be identified as the Zombo equivalent of makemba (female representative of the clan, ndona), which is known from other nkanda-practicing cultures? Another mask in this group has a miter-shaped headdress composed of two half ellipses connected at the top (fig. 12). In the middle of this red-painted hat, a cross in a darker shade can be distinguished.22 This probably represents a widespread type of headdress/cap that was worn by notables or even by the Kongo king (Volavka, 1998: 20). Also within this group are two specimens (figs. 13 and 17) that each display a large feather crown. Many Con-
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