Figurative Dagger in Sheath
Lwena, Angola / D.R. Congo / Zambia
Iron, wood, leather
Early 20th century

The Lwena number 80,000 and live in an area including D.R. Congo, Angola, and Zambia. Their chiefs, many of whom are female, are known as mwanangana. Sculptures depicting femles are typically carved from a honey brown wood that sometimes has an applied black surface; they can represent guardian spirits, maternity, and fertility. Lwena sculptures embody idealized realism, with particularly close attention to facial details such as scarification and coiffures (Felix, 100 Peoples of Zaire and Their Sculpture, 1987).

According to the documentation from Jan Elsen that accompanies this piece, the scarification patterns are kangongo (the vertical incision on the nose), masoji (two incisions under the eyes), and milpila ya ha cange (vertical variant on the chin). The coiffure, known as milamba, depicts parallel braids.

14.25 in :: 36.5 cm

InventoryID #13-2364

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