Ritual staff of the "khimba" initiation society · D. R. Congo, Bakongo · ID: 3046733
German Private Collection (1987)
Lempertz, Brussels, 22 January 2013, Lot 147
Description
wood, kaolin, base
These staffs were used as dance wands or ritual musical instruments (rattles) in the final initiation ceremonies. For this purpose the figures were wrapped with plaited raffia fiber, to which are tied numerous nutshells that make noise when agitated.
The staff could also be planted in the ground to delineate sacred spaces and demarcate initiation proceedings.
The object Ritual staff of the “khimba” initiation society with the object ID 3046733 was last part of the auction 95th Tribal Art Auction at October 24, 2020 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 244 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,400.
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Comparing literature
Felix, Marc L. (ed.), Kongo Kingdom Art, China 2003, p. 107