Yaka Kumbu di mpemba anthropomorphic box, DRC - Lot 91

Yaka Kumbu di mpemba anthropomorphic box, DRC These primitive African statues providing protection against enemies were 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. Here, the object is hollowed out at the neck to receive kaolin or other ingredients for the investiture of chiefs. The head forms the lid. Grayish-brown satin patina. Cracks 72 x 28 cm Hierarchical and authoritarian, composed of fearsome 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. Devoting a special cult to twins, the Bayaka (Sing. Yaka) also use janiform statues called yikubu linked to rites common to boys and girls (C.M.Faïk-Nzuji, La puissance du Sacré).