Staff of office "kibango" · D. R. Congo, Luba · ID: 3048493
not available anymore
Provenance
Jan Lundberg, Malmö, SwedenPierre Dartevelle, Brussels, Belgium
Size
H: 96 cm
H: 37.8 inch
Description
wood, metal, pigments, base
Staffs of office, “kibango”, are prestigious objects of great power that belong to the royal insignia.
Shapes, figural accessories and carved patterns provide information about the history of the respective owner and the lineage, which is why each “kibango” is unique. In a way, the staffs are carved narratives that can be read like texts and serve as a memory aid for their owner. However, only the owner himself or the magic priest who once consecrated the staff is able to do this.
Additionally charged with medicines and metals by ritual specialists, the powerful staffs are also said to have healing and protective powers.
Comparing literature
Roberts, Mary Nooter, Memory, New York 1996, p. 162 ff.