Collar "onlua"
D. R. Congo, Teke
not available anymore
Provenance
collected before WW IJean-Pierre Laprugne, Paris, France
Size
D: 19 cm/28 cm
D: 7.5 inch/11.0 inch
Description
brass, partly dark patina, flat toothed ring, decorated with incised ornaments, metal socle;
the number of teeth an “onlua” had, gave information about the prestige of the chief, who wore it. They not only showed the meaning of his rank, but the number of villages subjected to his jurisdiction as well.