Axe handle · D. R. Congo, Kuba · ID: 3043936
not available anymore
Provenance
German Private CollectionSize
H: 33,5 cm
H: 13.2 inch
Description
wood, copper wire, rest.
Figurative axes of the Luba were worn over the shoulder as signs of status.
Above all they play a central role in the initiation rites of “mbudye”, an association responsible for inducting persons into royal office.These axes provide metaphors for “breaking a path” or “clearing a field for cultivation” useful in political circumstances.
Comparing literature
Roberts, Mary Nooter, Memory, New York 1996, p. 77, ill. 25
Publications
AHDRC: 0153757