Divining instrument "kashekesheke" · D. R. Congo, Luba · ID: 3037102
sold
EUR 1,400
Provenance
Edouard d’Orjo de Marchovelette, Brussels, Belgium (1901-1985), territorial administrator, who served from 1925 till 1952 in the Belgian Congo. He collected mainly Luba and Lega objects.Didier Claes, Brussels, Belgium
Size
H: 14 cm
H: 5.5 inch
Description
wood, shiny middle brown patina, frame-like corpus with a rectangular hole in the middle, crowned by a stylized human head, min. dam., cracks, traces of abrasion, base;
Luba diviners use “kashekesheke” in order to solve social problems. Among groups to the north of Luba, most notably the Songye, a similar technique is called “katadora”. During a consultation, client and diviner together held the sculpture, which responded to their questions either yes or no.
Comparing literature
Roberts, Mary Nooter, Memory, New York 1996, p. 183