Bembe

Installed in the present DRC since the century XVIIIin the northwest and west of Tanzania. Influenced by Kongo and in close relations with the Teke. Socially organized into matrimonial clans. Three generations integrate the family unit and live within the same concession. The village is led by a chief and religiously by the priest, Nga Bull, who is the mediator with the ancestors to whom they worship. Like most of these regions of the Congo and much of Africa, Bembe men are engaged in hunting and fishing and women are engaged in agriculture. They are unstable, changing places depending on the fertility of the land. The cult of ancestors is deeply rooted in their customs. They set up small sanctuaries in the villages or on the tombs of the ancestors, where they offer sacrifices and libations to obtain their protection and well-being for the peoples. They have an organized social system based on secret societies: - Bwami Society. Lega has only two initial degrees while that of the Lega It's one of the most important. It is composed of circumcised statues that transmit small statues of ancestor from generation to generation. - Elanda Society: made up exclusively of men who have obtained the favor of the most important person of the clan in exchange for a series of gifts. This society runs the life of the clan. Responsible for both liturgical and playful animation. They organize rites and ceremonies that precede hunting and public celebrations. The masks of this society are the most representative of the Bembe.