Janiform magical figure "kabeja" · D. R. Congo, Luba-Hemba · ID: 3049429
Ludwig Bretschneider, Munich, Germany
German Private Collection (1987)
Description
wood, pigments, insect caused damage, base
Janus figures “kabeja” always represent a male and a female figure, joined back-to-back, and sharing a single cavity on top of their heads for insertion of magical mass.
They are seen as visual icon of the primordial couple, the founders of the society (“abeja” = woman, “makua” = man).
The “kabeja” is the fundamental object of the Hemba cult, including the cult of ancestors. Whether administering justice or making an offering to the ancestors these Janus “kabeja” were always present.
They are owned by the clan head known as the “fumu mwela”.
The object Janiform magical figure “kabeja” with the object ID 3049429 was last part of the auction 99th Auction at November 12, 2022 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 33 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,100.
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Comparing literature
Neyt, Francois, La Grande Statuaire Hemba du Zaire, Louvain-la-Neuve 1977, p. 486, ill. 82
Publications
AHDRC: 0029451