Axe · D. R. Congo, Luba · ID: 3036663
not available anymore
Size
L: 36 cm
L: 14.2 inch
Description
wood, shiny dark brown patina, metal tags, crowned by a human head with burled coiffure, the mortised blade emerging out of the mouth, min. dam., crack (left side of the head), small missing parts, slight traces of corrosion;
aside their role as prestige emblems, axes carry more profound messages in Luba royal ritual. Above all they play a central role in the initiation rites of “mbudye”, an association responsible for inducting persons into royal office.The axe is the instrument used to clear the path.
Comparing literature
Fischer, Werner & Manfred A. Zirngibl, Afrikanische Waffen, Passau 1978, p. 137, ill. 247