Democratic Republic of Congo
Hemba

Gourd, wood, cloth, hide
19th Century
Length: 12 in, Width: 2.75 in, Depth: 1.75 in
Idiophone – Struck Indirectly – Shaken -Rattle

A Hemba ‘kabeja’ rattle with blackened wood handle, a classic Hemba Janus-head, two-tiered notched bowl at top, spiraling neck rings, three gourds below wrapped with hide, and a cloth and wood plug at bottom, which are intact.  The Hemba honor the ‘kabeja,’ with its Janus-head topped with a receptacle for magic ingredients.   Each clan possesses a single ‘kabeje,’ which receives sacrifices intended for the spirits, a magico-religious practice that is of the essence to the family.