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Bwanga bwa bwimpe (female power figure)

19th–early 20th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 344
The Luluwa people live at the crossroads of several major art-producing cultures: the Luba to the east, the Chokwe to the southwest, and the Kuba to the north. In contrast to the more public prestige-enhancing royal arts of their powerful neighbors, the arts of the Luluwa in pre-colonial times were generally privately owned. Nonetheless, symbols of authority, such as ceremonial weapons, staffs of office and leopard-skin skirts, are seen on many of the figures. The hallmark of Luluwa sculpture is a profusion of intricate scarification patterns that adorn the surface, preserving in sculpture a form of body art abandoned over a century ago. Luluwa figures referred to ancestral spirits who bestowed protection, good fortune, and beauty on their devotees. During pregnancy and childbirth, women tucked the small half figures that end in a point into their wrappers or belts for protection; after the child was born, the standing figures were placed next to the baby's bed to keep the infant from harm.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Bwanga bwa bwimpe (female power figure)
  • Artist: Luluwa artist and mpaka manga (ritual specialist)
  • Date: 19th–early 20th century
  • Geography: Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Culture: Luluwa peoples
  • Medium: Wood, ivory (?), applied organic matter
  • Dimensions: H. 11 3/8 x W. 3 x D. 2 5/8 in. (28.9 x 7.6 x 6.7 cm)
  • Classification: Wood-Sculpture
  • Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979
  • Object Number: 1979.206.37
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

More Artwork

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Bwanga bwa bwimpe (female power figure), Luluwa artist and mpaka manga (ritual specialist), Wood, Luluwa peoples
Bwanga bwa bwimpe (female power figure)
Luluwa artist and mpaka manga (ritual specialist)
Late 19th–early 20th century
Bwanga (power object), Luluwa artist and mpaka manga (ritual specialist) (?), Wood, horn, seeds, cowrie shells, shotgun shells, teeth, metal, fiber, pigment, tar(?), Luluwa peoples
Bwanga (power object)
Luluwa artist and mpaka manga (ritual specialist)
19th–first half of 20th century
Bwanga bwa cibola (maternity power figure), Luluwa artist and mpaka manga (ritual specialist), Wood, copper alloy, Luluwa peoples
Bwanga bwa cibola (maternity power figure)
Luluwa artist and mpaka manga (ritual specialist)
19th–early 20th century
Nkisi (power figure), Kongo artist and nganga, Wood, pigment, resin, iron, brass, tin, cloth, plant fiber cord, beads, cowrie shells, bone or ivory, arrows, leather, seeds, animal horn, Kongo
Nkisi (power figure)
Kongo artist and nganga
19th–first half of 20th century
Nkishi (community power figure), Songye artist and nganga (ritual specialist), Wood, copper, brass, iron, fiber, snakeskin, leather, fur, feathers, mud, resin, Songye peoples
Nkishi (community power figure)
Songye artist and nganga (ritual specialist)
19th–first half of 20th century

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