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Heavily Decorated Songye Statue with Turned Head 34.5″ – DR Congo

Original price was: $700.00.Current price is: $175.00.

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SKU: 1011114 Categories: ,
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This statue was created in the style of the Songye people of DRC. The statue depicts a standing figure with its head turned to the side. It has been decorated with nuts, leather and raffia and a has a protruding horn coming from the top.  It measures 34.5 inches tall and weighs 8.5 pounds. The piece has scrapes, scuffs and minor imperfections throughout – please inspect photos.

Type of Object

Figure, statue

Country of Origin

DR Congo

Ethnicity

Songye

Material

Wood, Pigment, Raffia

Approximate Age

Unknown

Height

34.5"

Width

6.75"

Depth

6"

Weight

8.5 lbs

Overall Condition

Cracks, scrapes and scuffs – please inspect photos

Tribe Information

About the Songye People

“During the 16th century, the Songye migrated from the Shaba area, which is now the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), and settled on the left bank of the Lualaba River, on a savannah and forest-covered plateau. Divided into numerous sub-groups, the 150,000 Songye people are governed by a central chief, the Yakitenge, whose role demands that he obey special restrictive laws such as not showing grief, not drinking in public and not shaking hands with men. In addition, local rulers, the Sultani Ya Muti, distribute plots of land to their villagers and an influential secret society, Bwadi Bwa Kifwebe, counterbalances their power. Unlike their neighbors, the Luba, the Songye tribe is a patriarchal society in which agriculture is central to the economy.”

Source:
Baquart, Jean-Baptiste. The Tribal Arts of Africa. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc. 1998. Print.

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