Ceremonial sword, Hemba/Luba, D.R. Congo

[Pertinax]

Originally Posted by Marc M.

Judging from the appearance of the masks, kifwebe, depicted on the handle and scabbard, I would say Songye rather than Luba. It is often difficult to attribute an object to a people, especially when use and design are so close. Interesting piece.

Best regards
Marc

Hi Marc, thanks!

Yes, very similar to Songye.

You're right, Hemba and Songye's ancestors migrated from the Luba Empire, so they have a lot in common.

On the Hemba people, I found information on the Kabeja cult. There are figurines for Songye Janus Two Faced, but I have not found a description of the cult.

Regards, Yuri