Beaded mask
Tabwa peoples, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Mid-20th century
Glass beads, fur, monkey hair, cloth, feathers
University of Iowa Museum of Art, the Stanley Collection, x1990.656
Beaded moonlight. In Tabwa arts, the ornamental triangular pattern is called balamwezi the rising of the new moon. The motif positions the moon at the apex, between the opposing poles of the triangle's base. Here, the prominent use of white beads is associated with the moon and with heightened awareness attained through spirit possession.
White beads typically ornament the beaded headgear nkaka worn by Tabwa and Luba ritual specialists who, during spirit possession, can see into the other world. Beaded masks, a recent art form among eastern Luba and Tabwa, are similarly ornamented.
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Basket
Tabwa peoples, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Mid-20th century
Wood, fiber
Fowler Museum at UCLA, UCLA, X2009.6.1A
Containing the cosmos. Used in divination practice, this lidded basket helps the Tabwa conceptualize the cosmos. The lid represents the earth's surface, the legs are the cardinal points, and the handle refers to the Milky Way. Triangular motifs suggest balamwezi, a pattern representing the rising of the new moon.
The basket's interior is associated with a cavern where healing spirits reside. During possession rituals known as Bulumbu, the hands of a supplicant are placed on the basket lid. Spirits then determine the cause of the individual's problem and how to resolve it.
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Figure pair
Tabwa peoples, Democratic Republic of the Congo
18th to 19th century
Wood, beads
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1969, 1978.412.591 (female), 1978.412.592 (male)
Celestial marks of refinement. Tabwa figure carvings of ancestors bear scarification patterns called balamwezi, triangle designs that refer to the rising of the new moon and lunar phases. Patterns along the torso define the body's midline (mulalmbo), a line of symmetry broadly linked in Tabwa cosmology to ideas of duality: male and female, birth and death, the east-west axis of the universe, the path of spirits over land and sky, and the division of the sky by the Milky Way.
This elegant and refined couple from the Lake Tanganyika region depicts the respected ancestors of a Tabwa ruler. Scarification motifs on the face and forehead convey Tabwa ideas about perception, intelligence, and foresight.
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Headrest
Luba peoples, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Mid- to late 19th century
Wood, oil
National Museum of African Art, museum purchase, 86-12-14
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Female figure
Luba peoples, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Mid- to late 19th century
Wood, quartz
Felix collection
Lunar enlightenment. In Luba culture, twins are called "children of the moon" and are associated with divination and the spirit world. A Luba headrest supported by two female figures arm-in-arm suggests twinned spirit mediums. The rising moon serves as an apt metaphor for a heightened state of awareness and clairvoyance that occurs during spirit possession.
The beautiful fragment of a female figure, carved by a master Luba artist, bears a quartz crystal imbedded in the crown. Quartz captures and reflects moonlight, which in divination is associated with power and enlightenment communicated through prophetic dreams.
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