African Arts Gallery

An effigy of a royal ancestor, this sculpture, decorated with decorative motifs, was placed, along with a female statuette, in the shelter of a small funeral hut. Orange brown satin patina, minimal chips. According to the stories, the Boyos are of Luba descent, through an ancestor who emigrated with her brothers. Migratory flows have mixed within the same territories of the Bembe, Lega, Buyu (Buye) or Boyo, Binji and Bangubangu. The Basikasingo , considered by some to be a Buyu sub-clan, are not, however, of Bembe origin, Biebuyck's work having made it possible to trace their history. Organized into lineages, they borrowed the Bwami association from the Lega. The bembé and boyo tribal traditions are relatively similar: they venerate the spirits of nature, of water specifically in the Boyo, but also the heroic ancestors, whose will is sought through divinatory rites. The hunt is also an opportunity to make sacrifices of gratitude to the entities from which one has begged for favor and protection.