African Arts Gallery

This type of tribal statue providing protection against enemies was made according to the instructions of the Nganga ngoombu and the sponsor of the object. This powerful tribal art object was then activated using rituals and incantatory formulas. Satin patina. Slight lack (foot).
Hierarchical and authoritarian, made up of formidable warriors, Yaka society was governed by lineage leaders with the right to life and death over their subjects. Hunting and the prestige that results from it are nowadays an opportunity for the Yaka to invoke the ancestors and to resort to rituals using charms linked to the "khosi" institution. The youth initiation society is the n-khanda, which is found among the eastern Kongo (Chokwe, Luba, etc.), and which uses various charms and masks for the purpose to ensure a vigorous lineage. The Suku and Yaka ethnic groups, which are very close geographically, have the same social and political structure as well as similar cultural practices. They can only be differentiated by their stylistic variations. (C.M.Faïk-Nzuji, "The Power of the Sacred") ( "Treasures of Africa" ​​ed. Tervuren Museum)