Behind-the-Screens with Sarah Clunis

The focus of this virtual Black History Month Behind-the-Screens on Monday, Feb. 28 is a conversation with Peabody Director of Academic Partnerships and Curator of African Collections Sarah Anita Clunis about three royal Kuba masks—housed at Harvard’s Peabody Museum—that as a triad re-enact the founding of the Kuba kingdom and highlight the significance of gender and status in Kuba political systems plus Kuba life. Located in the Kasaï Oriental Province along the Sankuru River in the central part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Kuba identify themselves as the children of Woot and the tale of their origins is often reenacted in masquerades for the royal Kuba court.

This event is presented by Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology and Harvard Museums of Science & Culture. This discussion is open to HMSC members only and is free to attend. Not a member of Harvard Museums of Science & Culture? Visit their website to become a member today.