Suku (Basuku), Democratic Republic of the Congo

Protective male statue. The Suku numbering about 80,000 are settled in the southwest of the DRC. The hunt is the primary activity of the men. The chief of the lineage had the power of life and death over lineage members. The Suku have an initiation ritual. A special hut is built in the forest to give shelter to the postulants during their retreat. The event ends in circumcision, an occasion for great masked festivities. Various wooden sculptures are made, extending from religious and magical figures to everyday status items, such as elegantly carved cups and hair combs. The Suku sculptor performs rites appropriate to his profession. He has his own bag of magic substances, and before starting a sculpture, he makes an offering to the teacher who taught him the art of woodcarving. Typical for one kind of Suku sculptures is a mythological animal on the top.

Material: wood

Size: H. 23”, W. 6”, D. 5 ½”

Price:  $190+$36 (S&H)                                                       [#K4S9S659]