African Arts Gallery

Holoholo statue (N° 21374)

Represented perched on a circular base, the female figure adopts a semi-flexed leg posture, her large hands positioned on her thighs. The spherical head with almond-shaped eyelids, surrounded by a circle, is reminiscent of the Luba style. Dense wood, dark satin patina. The Luba (Baluba in Tchiluba) are a people of Central Africa. Their cradle is Katanga, more precisely the region of the Lubu River, thus the name (Baluba, which means "the Lubas"). They were born from a secession of the Songhoy ethnic group, under the leadership of Ilunga Kalala, who had the old king Kongolo, who has since been venerated in the form of a python, die. In the sixteenth century they created a state, organized in decentralized chieftaincies, which extended from the Kasai River to Lake Tanganyika. The chieftaincies cover a small territory with no real borders, and include at most three villages. Established along Lake Tanganyika around Kalemie, the Holoholo were subjected to the Luba. Their sculpture is very varied and reflects their history. Witchdoctors' associations play a major role, including the Bagabo, which the Bakibilo and Bambudje societies seek to counter.