Very beautiful ancestor statuette in wood, kaolin and plant fibers, which comes from the Hemba ethnic group of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Height: 55 cm

The Hemba people

Coming from the southwest, the Hemba settled around the 18th century on the fertile right bank of the Lualaba River in the southeast of what is now the DRC. All descended from a common ancestor, the Hemba are divided into clans and live mainly from growing cassava, sesame and beans.

The hereditary chief of each clan, called fumu mwalo, is the guardian of the statues of the ancestors. He dispenses justice and, because of his status, receives many gifts. Secret societies, including the bukazanzi society for men and the bukibilo society for women, counterbalance his powers.

Hemba Statues

The Hemba ancestor statues are called songiti and measure between 50 and 90 cm. They stand on a circular base and have abnormally short legs, an elongated torso, hands usually resting on the stomach and a large head topped with a cross-shaped hairstyle thrown back.

All the statues of the clan were guarded by the fumu mwalo, which gave him great power. During spiritual ceremonies, the fumu mwalo communicated with them by recalling significant events in the life of the ancestor represented and paid homage to him by offering him an animal sacrifice.

The ventral scarifications of the statuette presented here indicate the clan affiliation of the ancestor represented.