Beautifully carved Pregnant Belly Mask ( Njorowe )-Makonde - Tanzania This so-called pregnant belly mask comes from the Makonde people. It has a lizzard carved on both sith of the belly and scarification marks around the neck and on top of the belly in zigzag form. Women play an important role in Makonde mythology and art. The legend is that a man carved a figure of a woman, fell asleep, and awoke to find that the statue had come to life. She gave him many children, and later became a venerated ancestress. The Makonde have an ancestress cult. Female body masks, depicting a torso with breasts, pregnant belly, and sometimes scarification patterns, promoted fertility.This female body mask was part of the costume of a special ndimu masker called amwalindembo presenting a young pregnant woman. The mask was worn by a man and his performances emphasize the difficulty of childbirth. will be send with track & trace