Nkanu peoples who live in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo organize initiation rites for boys and young men. These rites, called nkanda or mukanda, take place over several months at the age of puberty. A dominant theme of the ritual is the symbolic death and rebirth of the individual who begins nkanda as a child and re-enters society at the conclusion of the rite as an adult. Initiates live in a specially constructed enclosure situated outside the community. Physical and psychological changes take place as the initiates are circumcised, acquire specialized knowledge, and learn the skills necessary for adult life.

Sculptors who are also ritual specialists well versed in the esoteric knowledge and symbolic visual language of nkanda arts produce the works. During initiation, the youths observe the creation of masks, figures, and carved panels, most of which are destined for public display at the conclusion of the initiation cycle. Thus, by observation--and perhaps by helping carvers in small tasks--Nkanu initiates learn about the forms, designs, and meanings of initiation arts.

An elaborate celebration at the conclusion of nkanda reintroduces the initiates to the community as adults. During this period of intense artistic activity, specialized wood sculptors create wall panels, carved in high relief, with images of men, women, and animals (see panels).

After carving, the panels are painted with a variety of symbolic patterns and installed on the interior walls of the kikaku, a special three-sided roofed enclosure that is displayed before the entire community (fig. 3). Additional figure sculptures are carved, painted, and placed on the floor in front of the decorated wall panels (fig. 4). These works of art function as a narrative of events that occurred during the nkanda cycle and reflect themes of rebirth, emotional and sexual maturity, death and the spirit world, and community values.

All nkanda masks educate initiates in aspects of human behavior, both desirable and undesirable, as a way of preparing the youths for their roles as adults (fig. 5). The most important masks represent ancestral spirit forces that sanctioned the initiation and protected the youths during circumcision, seclusion, and training (fig. 6). At the concluding celebration, masquerade figures accompany initiates in their dance performances before an audience of relatives and friends (fig. 7). Some masks and other objects are kept so that the newly initiated boys can use them in performances during the one- to two-year reintegration period following initiation. During this time, graduates circulate among neighboring communities to demonstrate their nkanda training and to receive gifts of food and money in return.