Pwo signifies womanhood and an elder ancestral female associated with fertility. Although performed by a male dancer, the costume includes wooden
breasts and a female bustle behind. More recent adaptations transform her into mwana pwo, a young woman who has undergone initiation and is therefore
ready for marriage. The cross form on the forehead, known as cingelyengelye, is an early Portuguese influence. M.L. Bastin attributed this lovely mask to
the Expansion style of the Kwili-Kasai, on either side of the border between Angola and D.R.C. Congo.