High-quality staff "mvwala" · D. R. Congo, Yombe/ Bakongo · ID: 3044792
Pierre Dartevelle, Brussels, Belgium
Description
wood, glass, iron, base
According to the origin story of Kongo, nine staffs “mvwala” were required for ruling the original clans that made up the kindom.
This staffs served as symbols of legitimate rule for a chief, linking him and his rule to the past, to the ancestors and to the earth. An iron tip at the base allowed the “mvwala” to be lodged in the soil thus ritually connecting the world of the living community and that of the dead.
The “mvwala” was also used in judicial proceedings, and it played a role in funerary ritual in which the staff may represent the deceased.
Comparing literature
Verswijver, G. u. a., Afrikanische Kunst - Verborgene Schätze aus dem Museum Tervuren, München, London, New York 1998, p. 147 ff. Cooksey, Susan et. al., Kongo across the waters, Gainesville 2013, p. 114