“During the 16th century, the Kuba people migrated from the north and settled between the Sankuru and Kasai Rivers. Today, they number 250,000 and are subdivided into a number of tribes – the Bushoong, the Ngeende, the Kete, the Lele, the Binji, the Dengese, the Mbuun and the Wongo. Each clan pays tribute to the Nyim, the king of the Bushoong ruling clan, but their internal affairs are dealt with autonomously. The Bushoong king and his court lived in a closed palace, known as the Mushenge. The king was responsible for the wealth and fecundity of his people.

The 25,000 Kete people farm along the southern border of the Kuba kingdom and live in independent villages led by family chiefs. They carve figures associated with initiations and helmet masks similar to the Bushoong Bwoon mask with large, conical eyes.”