African Tribal Art, amazing bembe statue from DRC

Description

Title
African Tribal Art, bembe statue from (DRC) Congo
County of origin
Democratic Republic of Congo
People
bembe
Type of object
Statue-Carving
Materials
Wood
Approx. size
44 cm -- 17 inches high.
TRIBAL AFRICAN ART
BEMBE (BABEMBE, BEEMBE, CUABEMBE, WABEMBE)
Both Congo Republics
The Bembe form a small group of 60 to 80,000 people; they live on the plateaus situated to the north of the Zaire River, as well as on the shores of Stanley Pool and in the cities of Brazzaville, Dolisie, and Pointe-Noire. The Bembe had close contacts with their neighbors the Teke, but Kongo contributions were essential to their culture and traditions. Their social organization was based on the matrimonial clan, whose members could live in several villages. The family unit generally included three generations. The chief in charge of the village, the
nga-bula
, mediated with the ancestors. Hunting was the main activity; before leaving on a hunt, the leader would invoke the ancestral spirits, using as intermediaries statuettes kneeling in the position of a hunter waiting for his prey. The Bembe believed in a creator god, Nzambi, whom they did not depict figuratively. He was the master of the life and death – unless the latter was due to the act of a sorcerer,
ndoki
, who could magically “eat” the life force of clan members. The ancestors had close ties with the living and received offerings through the “priest,” who made appeals to statuettes, the
kitebi
or
bimbi
, consecrated by the sorcerer. These figurines were the idealized images of the ancestors and would often wear attributes that allowed them to be identified as medicine men or hunters. The ancestor worship among the Bembe is older, though, and precedes the use of magic statues,
nkisi
, by the sorcerers.
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Please note I do combined shipping as follows:
15 USD I reduce to 10 USD
20 USD I reduced to 14 USD
25 USD I reduce to 16 USD
30 USD   I reduce to 20 USD
35 USD I reduce to 25 USD
40 USD I reduce to 29 USD
45 USD I reduced to 30 USD
50 USD I reduce to 34 USD
55 USD I reduce to 37 USD
60 USD I reduce to 41 USD
65 USD I reduce to 43 USD
70 USD I  reduce to 46 USD
75 USD I reduce to  49 USD
80  USD I reduce to 55 USD
I also look the combine weight and reduce further where possible
PLEASE NOTE –
In addition to offering combined shipping.  Please contact me if shipping to Europe as I can adjust the shipping to a lower cost