Circumcision dances (1), South Africa East, 1925

„Beschneidungstänze im Kaffer-Land“ („Circumcision dances in Kaffir land“). Three men standing in a row in front of a hut, wearing special masks and holding spears in their right hand. Apparently, their bodies are painted white. They are dancing. Next to the hut another young man sitting, wrapped in a blanket or a fur, with a white painted face, watching the dancers. Next to him on the right three children wrapped in draperies and a dog. Hans-Peter Schärf (1898-1945) was a mission artisan of the Moravian Brethren. He served as head of the joinery in Rungwe and was married to Anna Gertrud, née Sikora (born 1904). -- An initiation costume like those in the photograph is part of the collection of the "Völkerkundemuseum Herrnhut". cf. picture no. IMP-HRN-oN-SAO-00744b