Yaka Yiteke lineage statue, DRC ex-Zaire - Lot 43

Yaka Yiteke lineage statue, DRC ex-Zaire This type of African statue providing protection against enemies was made according to the instructions of the Nganga ngoombu and the object's patron. This powerful tribal art object was then activated by rituals and incantatory formulas. Satin patina. Slightly missing (foot) 29 x 5 cm Hierarchical and authoritarian, composed of formidable warriors, Yaka society was governed by lineage chiefs with the right of life and death over their subjects. Today, hunting and the prestige it brings are the occasion for the Yaka to invoke the ancestors and perform rituals using charms linked to the "khosi" institution. The initiation society for young people is the n-khanda, found among the Eastern Kongo (Chokwe, Luba, etc.), which employs various charms and masks to ensure a vigorous lineage. The Suku and Yaka ethnic groups are geographically very close, with the same social and political structure and similar cultural practices. They can only be differentiated by their stylistic variations. (C.M.Faïk-Nzuji, "La puissance du Sacré")("Trésors d'Afrique" ed. Musée de Tervuren)