Lulua Buanga bua cibola fertility statuette - Lot 141

Lulua Buanga bua cibola fertility statuette The various types of Luluwa, Lulua or Béna Lulua statues, with their multiple scarifications, glorify local chiefs, maternity, fertility and the female figure. Figures such as the one on the right belong to the Buanga bua cibola cult, and are believed by the group to protect children and pregnant women. The position of the hands on this figure highlights a prominent abdomen, the center of the body and "the object of all solicitude" ( La puissance du sacré , M. Faïk-Nzuji ). Prominent scarification marks adorn the body. Satin-brown patina. Misses, abrsions and desiccation cracks. 39 x 9 cm The Lulua , or Béna Lulua , people settled in the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo, having migrated from West Africa. Their social structure, based on castes, is similar to that of the Luba. They produced few masks, but mainly statues of ancestors representing the ideal warrior, mulalenga wa nkashaama , as well as the chief of the Leopard society and mbulenga statuettes linked to nature spirits.