Bifwebe

Carved wooden masks of the Songye people of the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa, existing in both "female" and "male" types; the female type is used in burial rituals and the consecration of new chiefs, while the male type is used to impose discipline among the ranks of the circumcised. In form they are distinguished by prominent facial features, often including a crest, and stripes of black, red, and white. They embody attributes of the human, the animal, and the spirit.