Janiform power figure "kabeja" - D. R. Congo, Hemba

wood, pigments, bone, wire, base

"Kabeja" figures are seen as visual icon of the primordial couple, the founders of the society ("abeja" = woman, "makua" = man).

In his standard work "La Grande Statuaire Hemba du Zaire", François Neyt notes: "Whether administering justice ("kihona"), making an offering to the ancestor ("lusingiti") ..., these janus "kabeja" were always present" (Neyt, 1977, p. 483).
H: 25 cm, H: 9,8 inch

Provenance:
Ludwig Bretschneider, Munich, Germany
Munich Private Collection

Lit.: Neyt, François, La Grande Statuaire Hemba du Zaire, Louvain-la-Neuve 1977, p. 483
Condition Report: See description