Chief's staff "mwala" ·  D. R. Congo, Yombe · ID: 3033965

Description

wood, rich reddish brown patina, decorating nails, decorated shaft, subdivided by disc-shaped compartments, carved with a sitting figure holding a spherical vessel, crowned by a female figure with child, slightly dam., cracks, on pedestal;
the founding myths of the Kongo peoples state that nine staffs “mwala” of the nine original clans were needed to rule. The chief’s staff “mwala” was a conduit of communication and a symbol of legitimacy that linked the ancestors with the living. Linked with the earth, it often has a sharp iron tip to be planted in the ground.

The object Chief’s staff “mwala” with the object ID 3033965 was last part of the auction 71st tribal art auction at November 24, 2012 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 456 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,250.

Here you will find more objects and interesting facts about African art.

Comparing literature

Baeke, Viviane (ed.), Treasures from the Africa-Museum Tervuren, Tervuren 1995, p. 292; ill. 31 f.