Two friction oracles "kashekesheke" · D. R. Congo, Luba · ID: 3034182
Wolfgang Nerlich, Munich, Germany
Description
wood, shiny brown patina, corpus with a rectangular hole in the middle, crowned by a human head, min. dam., fine cracks, slight traces of abrasion;
Luba diviners use “kashekesheke” in order to solve social problems. Among groups to the north of the Luba, most notably the Songe, 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. Still, through an extended dialogue with the figure, the diviner could solve complex familiy histories and interpersonal conflicts that may shed light on the cause of misfortune.
The object Two friction oracles “kashekesheke” with the object ID 3034182 was part of the auction 72nd tribal art auction on March 9, 2013. The object with the lot number 155 achieved a sales price of EUR 600 with an asking price of EUR 500.
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Comparing literature
LaGamma, Alisa, Art and Oracle, New York 2000, p. 31, ill. 45