Luba, Songye? Female Figure, DR Congo Africa Start Price USD 470.00 Current Price USD 470.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, July 19, 2008 End Time Saturday, July 26, 2008 Location Denver, CO See more about ' Luba, Songye? Female Figure, DR Congo Africa' Description Female Figure with Feathers Type of Object: Carving, sculpture, statue Ethnic Group: Luba (?), Songye, possibly Bali? Country of Origin: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon Materials: Wood, Pigment and feathers Approximate Age: Mid 20th century Dimensions: 19 inches tall Overall Condition: Used Damage, Repair: Old insect damage to base, arm, and leg, (arrested) small crack or two Provenance: Unknown Additional Information: If this figure is indeed from the Luba it reflects the difficulty when not dealing with classic styles of a people to attribute figures incompletely identified. And if from the Luba it is difficult to speak of a single Luba style with certainty and factuality. It is a means to group a number of similar styles under the name Luba while recognizing the numerous sub-styles of Luba art. Among the Luba figures were identified with royal lineages, served in divination or were emblems of powerful secret societies. Sculpted female figures with prominent breasts constitute a kind of unspoken Luba code for women are thought to hold special powers and those powers are located in their bodies. Figures like this well carved and expressionistically sculpted female reflects the prominent role women held in Luba society whether in politics or in matters spiritual and are recalled in Luba oral history. Female mediums known as Mwadi were acknowledged as reincarnations of dead Luba kings. It was in fact through the bodies of women that Luba kings derived their power. What is interesting is that the figure has a hole in it’s abdomen to hold magical substances and has the residue of feathers around it. This aspect of serving as a power figure could also ally it to the Songye. The protruding knob at the top of the head was most probably used to attach other magical materials. The powerful female figure must at this level be defined as a power figure of some sort of undefined origin and use.**023739** All content, including pictures, Copyright Africa Direct Inc., 2006 Add Us To Your Favorite Sellers! Please visit our About Us page. SquareTrade © AP6.0 PesaMember Place a Bid!