Luba Hemba ancestor effigy, DRC - Lot 90

Luba Hemba ancestor effigy, DRC African carved figure perched on a stool. Numerous erosions 18 x 4 cm The Luba (Baluba in Tchiluba) are a people of Central Africa. Their cradle is Katanga, more precisely the Lubu river region, hence the name (Baluba, meaning "the Lubas"). They were born of a secession from the Songhoy ethnic group, under the leadership of Ilunga Kalala, who caused the death of the old king Kongolo, who has since been venerated in the form of a python. In the 16th century, they created a decentralized chieftaincy state stretching from the Kasai River to Lake Tanganyika. The chefferies cover a small territory with no real frontiers, grouping together no more than three villages. The Luba have two main types of figure: mikisi mihasi , embodying deceased relatives or spirits, and mikisi mihake , sculptures designed to hold a magical charge, in the head or abdomen, in order to solve a problem. ( Luba , Roberts, 5 Continents ; "Trésors d'Afrique" ed. Musée de Tervuren).