Mid-century African Tribal Wooden Sculptural Commando Staff Rdc Luba 1960s

Kusu command rod This prestigious staff among chieftain regalia is composed of different carved sections that form an iconographic language related to the history of the ancestor or his clan, like the kibangos of the Luba. Wrapped around the central section are strings of beads enclosed in a clayey mixture. Satin brown-orange patina. Flaws and cracks due to drying. The Kusu, who settled on the left bank of the Lualaba River, have adopted the artistic traditions of the Luba and Hemba and have a caste system similar to that of the Luba. The Kasongo form a subgroup of the Kusu, who are now scattered among the Luba, Songye, and Hemba. The Singiti statues were kept by the Fumu Mwalo and honored in ceremonies in which sacrifices were made to them. In addition to the authority of hereditary chiefs, secret societies, male such as the Bukazanzi and female such as the Bukibilo, also played an important role within the clan. Ref: "100 people of Zaire and their sculpture" ML Félix Ex-collection of Belgian African art.