African art > Used objects, pulleys, boxes, loom, awale > Oracle Luba

Oracle Luba (N° 13722)

African art collection put up for sale by Jan Putteneers.
This African cephalomorphic sculpture is a means of communication with ancestors, used by the soothsayer during divination rituals. Incorporating the category of objects nkisi, nkishi, it is supposed to be endowed with a secret power, receptacle of a spiritual energy. Luba , like their neighbors, use this type of object related to the divination kashekesheke named katatora and lubuko . According to François Neyt, the object was carved from wood ( kibekwasa ) with magical properties.
During the interview, the ring was caught by the soothsayer and his client, who dragged it on a mat or headrest in response to the questions asked (producing the sound "kashekeke", "extraction of the truth"). Considered feminine, the object is a symbol, for the Luba, of the spiritual power available to the woman, represented here wearing a headdress storied in the Shankadi style. The sculptor's talent is revealed here by the quality of the details of the concentrated appearance and the headdress on which are drawn fine mats. The use has also endowed this object with a velvety and sainy surface, whose polished wood brightens on the protrusions of the face. Seniority cracks on the base.
The Luba , or Baluba in Chiluba, are a people of Central Africa. Their cradle is the Katanga, specifically the region of the Lubu River, so the name (Baluba, which means \  

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OriginCollection Jan Putteneers
EthnyLuba
CountryRDC
Material(s)wood
Height cm17
Depth6 cm
Width8 cm
Weight0.12 Kg
Estimated datingcirca 1980

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