Democratic Republic of Congo
Luba

Wood, braided rattan, paint pigment
Mid 20th Century
Height: 16.5 inches x Width: 8.2 inchs x Depth: 6.3 inches
Idiophone – Struck Directly  – Bell, Wooden

A Luba wooden head bell with striker, from the DRC. Shows a carved female ancestral head with geometric carvings and painted pigment on the bell resonator.  In the center of the bell is hole where the wooden striker rests when not used.   The traditional carvings are for ancestor and spirit cults, for initiation, medical and divination purposes.

A favorite theme in sculpture was a woman since, according to a Luba myth, vilie was the first woman spirit, founder of the clan and guarantor of fertility and the lineage. Women were cult guardians, and the royal wives played an important role: They were sent as emissaries to the chiefs of neighboring ethnicities.  Their responsibility was to contract profitable political alliances based on marriage.