KOMO
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offi ciate under their aegis. In this sense, they are an
archetypal incarnation of the initiated (and of his
wife) rather than of the diviner. In all Komo rituals,
the initiated’s wife plays a key role and so, at least
theoretically, does their child.
While nsembú is the name of the pair of masks,
each of them has its own proper name as well.
Biangɔlɔ, the main mask, refers to the father,
whose name is also used to designate the diviner
who has the right to train others to perform
his functions. Iƃólέ designates the wife, and since
among the Komo the function of the initiated
cannot be exercised by anyone who has not proven
their ability to transmit life on a physical level,
Biangɔlɔ and Iƃólέ are assigned an imaginary
child named Ongóndó, who is not represented. A
Komo man and woman who have borne a child
