“Today, the 300,000 Yaka people live along the Wamba River. They migrated from Angola during the 16th century and settled under the control of the Kongo kingdom. In the 18th century their lands were annexed by the Angola-based Lunda people, but by the 19th century the Yaka had regained their independence. Yaka society is tightly structured and headed by a chief of Lunda origin, the Kiamfu, who delegates responsibilities to ministers and lineage chiefs, Unkwagata. Young men are expected to pass through various initiation stages, including circumcision. The tribe lives principally from hunting, although subsidiary farming is undertaken by the women. Yaka artistic tradition is rich and various, but much of it has been informed by their neighbours – the Suku, the Kongo, the Holo and the Teke. Nevertheless, Yaka statues do have common characteristics- an upturned nose and applied pigments.
Source:
Baquart, Jean-Baptiste. The Tribal Arts of Africa. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc. 1998. Print.
Art from this Tribe
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Yaka Janus Figure 16″ – DRC – African Art
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Yaka Style Wooden Statue 19″ on Base | DRC | African Art
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Yaka Female Wooden African Statue 21″ – DRC
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Elaborately Decorated Yaka Mask 18″ – DR Congo – African Art
$175.00View More -
Beautiful Yaka Mask 28″ – DR Congo – African Art
$130.00View More -
African Yaka Statue with Gorgeous Patina 21″ on Base – DRC
$175.00View More -
Yaka Power Figure on Custom Base 12″ – DRC – African Art
$110.00View More -
Yaka Style Fetish Figure on Base 24.75″ – DRC – African Art
$450.00View More -
Elegant Yaka Style Face Mask 14.5″ – DRC – African Art
$350.00View More