TRIBAL AFRICAN ART
LULUA (BASHILANGE, BENA
LULUA, BENA LULUWA, BENA MOYO, LULUWA, SHILANGE)
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Lulua is
an umbrella term, which refers to a large number of heterogeneous peoples who populate the
region near the Lulua River, between the Kasai and Sankuru rivers. The Lulua people
migrated from western Africa during the 18th century and settled in the southern part
of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). They number 300,000 and live in
small regional chiefdoms and in times of crisis elect a common leader. The role of the
village chief is to insure juridical, political and social cohesion. During the late
19th century, Lulua culture underwent radical changes. In 1875, the Lulua king, Kalambam,
introduces new social and religious regulations, which ended the traditional palm-wine
drinking and hemp smoking.
Their economy is mostly based on agriculture, hunt and trade. Primarily
farmers, Lulua women grow manioc as a staple crop, as well as beans, sweet potatoes,
maize, yams, peanuts, and bananas. The men are responsible for clearing the forest and
preparing the soil for cultivation. They also hunt, fish with nets, and trap animals in
the surrounding forests. Salt is found in the region and is collected and sold to
neighbors to generate income.
The Lulua
statuary is remarkable in the degree of its scarification, a manifestation of a wish to be
socially differentiated. These marks must be very ancient as in 80th of 19th
century they were no found on the Lulua themselves. The statues represent great chiefs
with beards and insignia, and these effigies would be planted in the ground to protect the
household when the head of the family was absent. These male figures depict
warriors-chiefs who often hold a ceremonial sword and shield, or a cup. Sometimes knives
and other paraphernalia hang from the belt. The most famous statuettes are the mbulenga,
or female charm statuettes. The chibola are maternity figures that, when worn on
the belt, protected the newborn child or the baby about to be born: the chibola
would stand watch over childbirths. The protruding abdomen of the woman emphasizes the
importance of the lineage.
Other
figures are in crouching or squatting positions with raised hands resting on the neck and
the oversize head. It is said that this position corresponded to the burial form, and in
all probability these statues represent ancestors. Other statuettes with truncated bases
protected against sorcerers, thieves, and lightning; they were used in divination
sessions, and could bring about bad luck. Crouching figures with receptacles on their
heads were used as hemp boxes by the hunters, who attached them to the belt and spoke to
them, and they brought him luck on his return. During the hunting ritual, the statue would
be fed and placed on a small earth hillock to witness the hunt. Warrior statues are also
numerous. Large standing figures, carrying a cup, were charms of beauty and luck inhabited
by ancestral spirits. These statues participated in the investitures of chiefs and at
their funerals. One should note the importance of the head, which frequently comprises a
quarter of the total dimension of the figure. The hairdos generally end in a point and
have tufts of hair emerging from the back of the skull. The horn projected from the top of
the head symbolizes power. The neck is long, the shoulders tattooed, the breasts small and
pointy. The position of the arms at right angles expresses virile strength. The navel is
often pointed, surrounded by concentric circles that symbolize life. The legs are short.
As for Lulua masks, the heterogeneous
composition of the people and the considerable area they occupy, explain the many
stylistic overlappings with their neighbors. The formal and functional diversity of the
masks testifies to the region as an ethnic crossroads and sometimes makes it difficult to
confirm their origin. One can distinguish at least two categories of wooden Lulua masks.
The first group consists of face masks with concave eye-sockets and intricate geometric
painted patterns; the second consists of face masks with concave eye-sockets, simpler
patterns, and plank-shaped crest. Lulua masks with their pointed nose and deep eye-sockets
were probably used during circumcision and funeral ceremonies.
The Lulua
also make pipes, tobacco mortars, neck-rests, hemp jars, drums, combs, small hunters’
flutes, and adzes.
Visit our
Museum Store
Learn more about
Lulua
