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The Bembe carve numerous kinds of wooden figures that represent various spirits. They also carve several different kinds of masks, the most notable being antelope horn masks (elande). Knives, staffs, fly whisks, and divination gourds are also often decorated.The Bembe people migrated from Congo in the 18th century and resettled in the eastern part of the democratic Republic of Congo, near the boarder to Tanzania and Burundi. The “cult of the ancestors” is an important part of the Bembe social and spiritual life. They worship private and public shrines, often food is offered or animals are sacrificed, in exchange the ancestor protects the tribe. Thus ancestor figures are rare and appear only in the south-western territory. |
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