Pair of Ceremonial Axes
Luba Lunda, D.R. Congo
Manipulated European steel, forged iron, wood
Mid-20th century

This type of axe was reserved for use by chiefs throughout northern Angola and southern D.R. Congo. They were brandished in ritual and ceremonial contexts, often war dances that commemorated historical events and past achievements. They represented symbolic extensions of the chief's power and demonstrated the extent of their territorial holdings (Jordan, Chokwe!, 1998). 

This pair of ceremonial axes originally belonged to Mwata Yav Ditend, Chief of the Luba Lunda tribe and father-in-law of Moise Tshombe, an important Congolese politician from 1960-65. Collected in the D.R. Congo in the 1960s.

20 in :: 51 cm
17 in :: 43 cm

InventoryID #13-1171

SOLD