Kusu fetish statue, DRC Traditional African statuette,... Lot 29

Kusu fetish statue, DRC Traditional African statuette, incarnating a clan ancestor or mythical hero, evoking Songye and Hemba sculptures. Particularity of the Kusu: the face is prolonged by a long triangular beard. Slightly grainy, velvety surface. Desiccation crack 34 x 12 cm The Kusu, who live on the left bank of the Lualaba, have borrowed artistic traditions from the Luba and Hemba, and have a caste system similar to that of the Luba. The Hemba settled in southeastern Zaire, on the right bank of the Lualaba. Once under Luba domination, these farmers and hunters practice ancestor worship using effigies long attributed to the Luba. In this region, between the Bembe, Boyo, Hemba, Songye and Tetela, ritual objects have been subjected to a variety of influences. Singiti statues were preserved by the fumu mwalo and honored in ceremonies during which sacrifices were offered to them. Parallel to the authority of hereditary chiefs, secret societies - male, such as the bukazanzi , and female, the bukibilo - played an important role within the clan.