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Figure
unidentified Congolese
Congolese
----
undated
The Bembe live west of Lake Tanganyika southeast of the Lega and north of the Tabwa. Their neighbors to the southwest are the Boyo. Like all of their neighbors to the west, families or clans carved figures of ancestors. This piece was carved by a clan called Basi Kasingo that lives in both Bembe and Boyo communities. A few even live in Lega villages. The Basi Kasingo are not an ethnic group or tribe (Felix, personal communication). They live in an area of high mountainous forests and grasslands, dissected by large rivers that flow east toward the lake. The Bembe are best known for the spectacular helmet masks with four huge eye sockets painted red and white, and similar small figures with concave faces, used by the elanda association. The tradition of carving large ancestral figures is linked to the western neighbors such as the Hemba, Boyo, Bangubangu, Kusu, and to the Tabwa to the south. Each of these peoples is represented in the Stanley Collection, and the figures of most share the upright columnar pose, arms parallel to the sides with torso narrowed to allow for the space between the arms and torso, angular legs, and large spherical head we see in this example. The triangular face, enormous convex, almond-shaped eyes, small protruberant mouth, and broad flat nose are characterisitics this object shares with others carved for the Basi Kasingo clan. -- Professor Christopher Roy, School of Art and Art History, University of Iowa
Southern Savannah Africa Congo (Zaire)
Bembe
Height: 58 inches Width: 6 inches Depth: 6 inches
Wood
The Stanley Collection
University of Iowa. Stanley Museum of Art
X1990_699
2007-07-05
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wood (plant material)
183425165
Death Ancestor