Female Shoowa Bushoong figure, DRC - Lot 62

Female Shoowa Bushoong figure, DRC This Shoowa statuette is a naturalistic figure of a kneeling woman holding a container. A delicate work combining symmetrical and harmonious proportions. Smooth, lustrous, black-brown patina 20 x 6 x 11 cm The Shoowa settled within the Kuba kingdom, gradually adopting some of its traditions. Organized in a matrilineal society, the Shoowa are first and foremost skilled weavers, renowned for their raffia textiles, which they export to neighboring groups. But they are also potters and engravers. The Kuba and the tribes settled between the Sankuru and Kasai rivers, including the Bushoong and Dengese who also originate from the Mongo group, are renowned for the refinement of prestige objects created for members of the higher ranks of their society. The Kuba kingdom was founded in the 16th century by the Bushoong, who are still ruled by a king. They are the most prolific group in Western Kasai. Ritual ceremonies were always an occasion to display decorative arts and masks, to honor the spirit of the deceased or to honor the king. Most of these masks embody nature spirits, the guardians of fertility and fecundity, known as ngesh .