A breakthrough excavation in the central Congo Basin has unearthed a collection of hardwood leopard masks inlaid with copper studs and kaolin clay. Dated to the early first millennium CE, these masks represent the oldest known evidence of the leopard-spirit societies that remain central to various regional festivals today.
The presence of copper, which had to be traded over hundreds of miles, indicates that these festivals were significant economic events that facilitated regional trade. The masks were found alongside iron ritual bells, suggesting that rhythmic music and dance have been the cornerstone of these cultural celebrations for at least twenty centuries.