Bone maskette "lukungu", early 20th century

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Description

rest., base

Very beautiful work with incised decoration consisting of spots and circles; two holes at the lower rim for the attachment of fibre beard.

A stylistically closely related example entered the collections of the Ethnographic Museum Antwerp in 1955 (AHDRC 0026713). Another is in the holdings of the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren (AHDRC 0143124).

Small “lukungu” maskettes made of bone (or ivory) are considered to be the most significant insignia of all “bwami” grades. They are given to members of the highest initiation level “lutumbu lwa kindi”. “Lukungu” ornaments are passed on from generation to generation, symbolising the continuity of the lineage.

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Comparing literature

Cameron, Elisabeth L., Art of the Lega, Los Angeles 2001, p. 217

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