Tribal Art

The therapeutic figures of the Kasongos, used by healers, were inspired by Songye fetishes. The magical charge, composed of ingredients of various origins, was inserted into the head cavity. The very dense wood is inlaid with metal like the Songye fetishes. The head of this stocky character, established in a quasi-crouched posture, is a Kasongo specificity. Matt patina. Abrasions, erosions and cracks.
The Kusu established on the left bank of the Lualaba have borrowed the artistic traditions of the Luba and the Hemba and possess a caste system similar to that of the Luba . The Kasongos form a Kusu subgroup, now scattered among the Luba, Songye, and Hemba. The singiti statues were kept by the fumu mwalo and honored in ceremonies during which sacrifices were offered to them. Alongside the authority of the hereditary chiefs, secret societies, male such as the bukazanzi , and female, the bukibilo ,played a great role within the clan.