Tribal Art

Kota pipe, old, with an arched handle, embellished with different metal sections. The Bakota inhabit the eastern part of Gabon, which is rich in iron ore, and some in the Republic of Congo. The blacksmith, in addition to wood carving, made tools for agricultural work as well as ritual weapons.

This prestigious object consists of a copper bowl decorated with decorative motifs, extended by a section in wood carved with a traditional figurative subject, then by a tapered end piece draped in leather. Cat's whiskers, identity scarifications found among the neighboring Chamba, are inscribed on the statuette. Height on base: 54 cm.
The 100,000 Adamawa language speakers form a group called Mumuye and are grouped into villages, dola, divided into two groups: those of fire (tjokwa) relating to blood and the color red, guardians of the cult vabong , among which the chiefs are elected, and those of water, ( tjozoza ), related to humidity and the color white. It is from among the latter that the priests of the rain are chosen, initiates of the vadosong cult. The Mumuye are ...

A prestigious object displayed during ceremonies and ritual dances, this weapon has an anthropomorphic handle depicting an ancestor with braids drawn towards the nape of the neck. Similar to the Luba, whose effigy bears abdominal scarification marks, the Tabwa and the populations that surround them generally depict the body in its entirety. Smooth mahogany red patina. The Tabwa are an ethnic group present in the southeast of the DRC. Simple farmers with no centralized power, they federated around tribal chiefs after coming under the influence of the Luba. It is mainly during this period that their artistic movement was expressed through statues and masks. The Tabwa practiced ancestor worship and dedicated some of their statues to them. Animists, their beliefs are ...

Pipe, or oriental chibouque, chibouk, with terracotta bowl, filigree metal handle decorated with arabesques and interlacing. The stove has a small lid that a chain connects to the pipe.

Belgian African art collection.
Represented in a crouching position on the stove of a water pipe made up of a gourd, this female figure luba, a spiritual medium, has an ovoid face with a meditative appearance. The object is lined with twisted copper wires. The headdress, behind a wide headband that reveals a shaved forehead evokes the hairstyles of Luba women at the beginning of the 20th century. The symbolic gesture, with hands placed on the chest, indicates that the secrets of royalty (the bizila) belong to women through their role as political and spiritual intermediaries.
T beautiful oiled patina with satin highlights.
Seed smoking, which was widely cultivated in the region, was widespread among the Luba for its therapeutic properties and social use. But medicinal or ...