African Arts Gallery

Saverio Collection of African Art.
This Punu archery object has a base consisting of two characters tied back to back. The latter feature tribal checkerboard scarifications, mabinda, on the forehead and abdomen, and the hulled hairstyles characteristic of the region. The cylindrical body of the quine is wrapped in finely braided raffia and fitted with a cotton fabric conveyor belt. Natural raw patina. Punu women produce items made of baskets, baskets, baskets, pods, mats, thanks to a vine named mambe, and rushes. They are also in charge of the pottery they trade in Lumbu and Tsogo. Like men, they are grouped into initiation associations. Before any warlike confrontation, a visit to the nganga was necessary: he collected the right plants and made sacrifices to honor the protective ancestors. In addition to their famous white masks, the Punu have fashioned statues of ancestors, doors and shutters, spoons, fly-hunting, everyday objects on which are represented the famous faces with shells.