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Located in central Democratic Republic
of Congo, the Kuba people have a distinct sculptural style for their artwork,
using mostly wood or metal.
Regalia is often created for the king and is of a greater quality than
work done for the common man. This
is where Kuba art gets divided into three categories based on the function of
the object, court art and art for the common people. Examples of court art include portrait statues, metalwork,
and textiles; everyday objects consist of cups and boxes. The third classification of Kuba art is
the religious objects. One
specific example being itombwa, which
is a small wooden box used as a divination object, which usual takes on the
form of an animal. Some
characteristics include the orientation on all fours, the smooth back and top,
compared to the underneath side with its geometric patterning, and the animal
represented is almost always male.
“Divination is the attempt by man to gain access to the knowledge which only the spirits, as omniscient beings, possess about the source of those …which may afflict a community.”[1] A diviner uses these boxes for two main purposes, the first one to identify thieves and the second related to the cause or cure of illnesses. The diviner begins by detaching and soaking the small wooden disc, which is then rubbed across the “back” or flat area of the itombwa, which the Kuba believe activates the box. After much rubbing, the disk is no longer able to move due to friction, for the final step, the diviner then flips the itombwa upside down, if the disk remains connected the diagnosis is then complete.
Although some are more abstracted than others, some of the common animals represented are the crocodile, lizard, dog, iguana, and bushpig, which are often “associated with war and warlike aggressiveness, and therefore serve as a warning for enemies.”[2] Along with Kuba art, animals are also classified into separate categories according to their habitat. Animals that live in marshy forests along with ngesh, spirits of nature, are said to have some connection with the spirits because no human would live near the powerful ngesh, these animals are the ones commonly depicted in itombwa. The second category is based on those living in the water; fish are “regarded as the sons and daughters of the ngesh animals.”[3] The final group contains animals in the open savanna. The Kuba determine an animal’s importance based on their connection with ngesh through their habitat choice. “The crucial role of the ngseh animals…highly-determined corporate images…explain why the Kuba are reluctant to make us of the animal form in their art.”[4]
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[1] John Mack, "Animal Representations in Kuba Art: An Anthropological Interpretation of Sculpture," Oxford Art Journal, 4, no. 2 (1981): 50-56,
[2] Monica Visona, Robin Poynor, and Herbert Cole, A HISTORY OF ART IN AFRICA Second Edition, (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc, 2008), 61,
[3] John Mack, "Animal Representations in Kuba Art: An Anthropological Interpretation of Sculpture," Oxford Art Journal, 4, no. 2 (1981): 50-56,
[4] John Mack, "Animal Representations in Kuba Art: An Anthropological Interpretation of Sculpture," Oxford Art Journal, 4, no. 2 (1981): 50-56,
Image source: Kuba, Friction Oracle (Itombwa), 20th century. carved wood, metal, glass beads, and cowrie shells, 7.5 cm x 35 cm x 6.4 cm (2 15/16 in. x 13 3/4 in. x 2 1/2 in). (Gift of Dr. James and Vivian Curtis)
“Divination is the attempt by man to gain access to the knowledge which only the spirits, as omniscient beings, possess about the source of those …which may afflict a community.”[1] A diviner uses these boxes for two main purposes, the first one to identify thieves and the second related to the cause or cure of illnesses. The diviner begins by detaching and soaking the small wooden disc, which is then rubbed across the “back” or flat area of the itombwa, which the Kuba believe activates the box. After much rubbing, the disk is no longer able to move due to friction, for the final step, the diviner then flips the itombwa upside down, if the disk remains connected the diagnosis is then complete.
Although some are more abstracted than others, some of the common animals represented are the crocodile, lizard, dog, iguana, and bushpig, which are often “associated with war and warlike aggressiveness, and therefore serve as a warning for enemies.”[2] Along with Kuba art, animals are also classified into separate categories according to their habitat. Animals that live in marshy forests along with ngesh, spirits of nature, are said to have some connection with the spirits because no human would live near the powerful ngesh, these animals are the ones commonly depicted in itombwa. The second category is based on those living in the water; fish are “regarded as the sons and daughters of the ngesh animals.”[3] The final group contains animals in the open savanna. The Kuba determine an animal’s importance based on their connection with ngesh through their habitat choice. “The crucial role of the ngseh animals…highly-determined corporate images…explain why the Kuba are reluctant to make us of the animal form in their art.”[4]
_____________________________________
[1] John Mack, "Animal Representations in Kuba Art: An Anthropological Interpretation of Sculpture," Oxford Art Journal, 4, no. 2 (1981): 50-56,
[2] Monica Visona, Robin Poynor, and Herbert Cole, A HISTORY OF ART IN AFRICA Second Edition, (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc, 2008), 61,
[3] John Mack, "Animal Representations in Kuba Art: An Anthropological Interpretation of Sculpture," Oxford Art Journal, 4, no. 2 (1981): 50-56,
[4] John Mack, "Animal Representations in Kuba Art: An Anthropological Interpretation of Sculpture," Oxford Art Journal, 4, no. 2 (1981): 50-56,
Image source: Kuba, Friction Oracle (Itombwa), 20th century. carved wood, metal, glass beads, and cowrie shells, 7.5 cm x 35 cm x 6.4 cm (2 15/16 in. x 13 3/4 in. x 2 1/2 in). (Gift of Dr. James and Vivian Curtis)