Kipoko
Kipoko is a helmet mask of the Eastern Pende peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is a chief's crest mask, danced at the appointment of a new village chief and linked to the world of the dead. Kipoko also plays an important role in the circumcision camp (mukanda): at the end of initiation, the boys must grab food from the edge of the mask as a final test. The mask's rounded form and painted features are associated with chiefly authority and the transition from boyhood to manhood.