Makishi
Death dances for living people

July 7 2016

Makishi (singular, Likishi) are masked characters associated with the coming of age rituals of the Vaka Chiyama Cha Mukwamayi communities of the north-western part of Zambia. The term refers to the masks and costumes that constitute a character being portrayed. The masks are believed to be a manifestation of the spirits of dead ancestors who return to the world of the living. The Makishi Masquerade is connected to the Mukanda, an initiation school held annually for boys between the ages of eight and seventeen. At the beginning of the dry season, young boys leave their homes and live for one to three months in an isolated school. The Mukanda involves the circumcision of the initiates, tests of courage, and lessons on their future role in society as men and husbands. During the Mukanda, Makishi are supposed to return from the world of the dead to protect and assist the boys in their transition from childhood to adulthood. While at Mukanda, the boys are separated from the outside world – the separation marking their symbolic death as children. Therefore, the boys are called Tundanji – people who do not belong to the world of the living, to be reborn as adults at the completion of the Mukanda. The graduation is marked by the performance of the Makishi Masquerade and the whole community is free to attend.

Extract from: Makishi Masquerade and Activities: The Reformulation of Visual and Performance Genres of the Mukanda School of Zambia by Victoria Phiri Chitungu
Photos by Marie-Noëlle Robert

Original post found at the fantastic Chaudron