Tribal Art

Among the traditional sculptures reserved for dignitaries , this eroded seat that a figure embodying a clan ancestor or mythical hero supports. The statuette evokes the Songye and Hemba statues. Particularity of the Kusu, the face extending with a triangular beard.
Velvety surface.
Desiccation crack.
The Kusu settled on the left bank of the Lualaba have indeed borrowed the artistic traditions of the Luba and Hemba and possess a caste system similar to that of the Luba .  The Hemba on the other hand have settled in southeastern Zaire on the right bank of the Lualaba River. Once under the domination of the Luba , these farmers and hunters practice ancestor worship by means of effigies long attributed to the Luba. In this region, between the Bembe, Boyo, Hemba, Songye and Tetela, ritual objects have been subject to various influences. The statues singiti were kept by the fumu mwalo and honored during ceremonies in which sacrifices were offered to them. Alongside the authority of the hereditary chiefs, secret societies, male such as the bukazanzi , and female, the bukibilo ,played a great role within the clan.