African Arts Gallery

Belgian collection of African art
These talismans, collectible objects worn as pendants, were used during collective hunts to signal to the team or the dogs and to guide the prey towards a specific target. The whistle emitted could be modulated thanks to a lateral appendage. Specialized hunters used a variety of ritual objects to ensure the success of their expeditions.
The Western Pende settled on the banks of the Kwilu, while their eastern counterparts founded their communities along the Kasai, downstream from Tshikapa. Their vast sculptural production, rich in tribal art, was strongly influenced by neighboring peoples such as the Mbla, Suku, Wongo, Leele, Kuba and Salempasu. Among this diversity, the Mbuya masks, made with striking realism every ten years, have a mainly festive function, representing a variety of characters such as chiefs, diviners, their wives, prostitutes, possessed people, etc. The initiation masks and the power masks, called minganji, symbolize the ancestors and are used during various ceremonies, such as agricultural festivals, mukanda initiation and circumcision rituals, as well as chiefs' enthronement ceremonies.