Archives | Democratic Republic of the Congo
Songye Figure
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Carved wood, nails, horn, metal
Early 20th century
Height: 7 in. (18 cm)
Collected in the 1960s by Karel Plasmans
Ex private collection, Brussels
Sold
The Songye reside in the southeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, near the Lomami River in Central Africa. The political organization of the Songye is structured around the personality of their chief, a holy, benevolent figure endowed with magical-religious power. Secret societies structure social, political and religious life. Fetishes, amulets (boanga or nganga) and power figures (nkishi) are omnipresent among the Songye.
Explore the entire collection
