Kuba

Established in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in southern Kasaï, between the Kasaï, Sankuru and LuluaThe Kuba kingdom was born from the federation of eighteen tribes under the authority of the Bushongo. Other important towns are the Ngeende, the Ngwoong and the Shoowa. They appeared to have come as a result of a migration that occurred in the century. XVIHis most famous reu was Shyaam Ambul to Ngoong who reigned at the beginning of the century XVII and is regarded as the father of Kuba culture. The Kuba genealogy accounts for one hundred and twenty-four kings, some of whom are represented by statues, sitting on their throne, whose realization dates back to the century. XVIII. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Kuba have always shown through their art the meaning of the monarchical institution. The monarch, invested with supernatural powers, was the guarantor of the fertility of fields and women. To be enthroned king he had to commit incest with his sister, an act strictly forbidden in society, but inherent in the sacred nature of her power that prohibited her from any relationship outside the family. Art Kuba is a real and aristocratic art, known mainly for its masks. In addition to about twenty different masks the Kuba manufacture numerous ornamental or utilitarian objects such as cups, stools, pipes, drums, reclining heads, etc., where the utilitarian function is subordinated to aesthetic function. Royal masks constitute one of the most important representations of Kuba art.These masks are of three types: Ngaady a-Mwaash, Moshambwooy or Mwaash a-Mbooy and Bwoom. The use of coris in these masks is abundant. The Mwaash a-Mbooy or Moshambwooy mask represents Ngaady a mwaash, sister and wife of Woot, an ancestor of the Bushongo from whom the great family comes KubaThey were called Bushongo until the Luba gave them the name of KubaIt's a female mask with no eyes. It's the most representative mask of the Kuba people. It presents a beautiful polychrome and a rich ornamentation: leather, cauris, ceramic pearls. Its red color represents bleeding and wealth, white mourning and religious purity and blue is the symbol of a high social level.