Tribal Art

Carved from a single block of carefully selected wood, equipped with its multiple accessories and ritual talismans consecrated by the nganga, this fetish sculpture presents a fascinating face reproducing the kifwebe mask of the Bwadi ka bifwebe society. . The bishimba magic charge, intended for protection, is generally lodged in the abdomen and in the summit horn. Reptile skin covers the head and forms the loincloth of the statue.
The fetish Songye, magic sculpture Nkisi, nkishi (pl. mankishi), plays the role of mediator between gods and men. The large specimens are the collective property of an entire village, while the smaller figures belong to an individual or a family. In the 16th century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle in Kasai, Katanga and South Kivu. Their society is organized in a patriarchal way. Their history is inseparable from that of the Luba to which they are related through common ancestors. Very present in their society, divination made it possible to discover sorcerers and to shed light on the causes of the misfortunes that struck individuals.
Lit. : "The Sensible and the Force" ed. Royal Museum for Central Africa