CategoriesCultural and Religious Styles
Mbole Art
Sculpture of the Mbole of central Congo, best known for ofika figures made for the Lilwa association.
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No open-access works for Mbole Art are in the index yet. They will appear here as more collections are indexed.
About
The Mbole live in the forests of the central Democratic Republic of the Congo, between the Lualaba and Lomami rivers. Their best-known sculptures are ofika figures, made for Lilwa, a men's association that oversaw initiation and enforced social rules. Each figure commemorates a person executed by hanging for a grave offence, and was displayed to initiates as a warning.
The carving is unmistakable. A long, slender body leans forward with hunched shoulders, arms held stiffly apart from the sides, knees slightly bent and feet pointing downward as if suspended. The concave, heart-shaped face is often coloured with yellow or white pigment. The figures were carried on litters during Lilwa ceremonies and could be named after the individual they recalled. Mbole carvers also made masks for the same association.
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