Tribal Art

The African tribal art of the Tabwa, prestige objects.
Used by the feminine initiation society, this figure with a cylindrical bust with breasts and an umbilicus in relief, has scarifications comparable to those, traditional, of the members of the tribe, and has a remarkable honey-colored patina. Carefully carved into an ovoid head, the delicately modeled juvenile features are also framed by chequered keloids. The hairstyle is meticulously figured, following the contours of the head. Good condition despite a very slight crack.
The Tabwa ("to scarify" and "to write") are an ethnic group present in the southeast of the DRC. Simple farmers without centralized power, they federated around tribal chiefs after being influenced by the Luba. It is mainly during this period that their artistic current expressed itself mainly through statues but also masks. The Tabwa practiced the cult of ancestors and dedicated some of their statues called mkisi to them. Animist, their beliefs are anchored around the ngulu, spirits of nature present in plants and rocks. The Luba dominated the Tabwa in the region along Lake Tanganyika between Zaire and Zambia. "Tabwa" or "to be tied" probably refers to the system of slavery once practiced by Islamic traders.
The Tabwa then regained their independence thanks to the wealth provided by the ivory trade. Just as the influence of the Luba can be seen in Tabwa societies and rituals, Tanzanian tribes have also left their mark on Tabwa statuary in terms of geometric decorative motifs. The Tabwa also worshipped the bampundu twins.