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“Pwo” is a classic mask genre that honors founding female ancestors of the Chokwe people. Pwo are associated with Chokwe initiations for boys 8-12 years old. For these ceremonies, a male dancer dons the Pwo mask, dresses in a costume of braided fiber, and emulates the slow, precise movements of Chokwe women. The masks act as intermediaries for the initiates, and the performances help dissolve the bonds of intimacy between the boys and their mothers. The tear motif carved under the eyes of the mask alludes to the sorrowful separation the performances represent for Chokwe mothers. The dikenga–the prominent four-point motif on the forehead–is a cosmogram representing the cycle of life.