Kuba (Bakuba,
Bushongo), Kuba (Bakuba,
Bushongo), A Bushoong king (ndop)
figure. Today, the Kuba people number 250,000 and are subdivided into a number of
tribes – the Bushoong, the Ngeende, the Kete, the Lele, the Binji, the Dengese, the
Mbuun and the Wongo. Each clan pays tribute to the Nyim, the king of the Bushoong
ruling clan, but their internal affairs are dealt with autonomously. The Bushoong king and
his court lived in a closed palace. The king was responsible for the wealth and fecundity
of the people. Among the best known of Kuba art forms are royal portrait figures, ndop.
They are idealized representations of the king. Rigidly frontal and symmetrical, with arms
positioned tightly against the sides, these king portraits evoke ideas of composure,
calmness, immobility, solidity, dignity, and detachment. Kuba traditions maintain that if
the ndop is damaged, an exact copy is made to replace it.
Material: wood
Size: 11½”x3½”x2½”
Price:
$100+$17 (S&H)
[#N9U8S609]