Figure

This elegant figure was created by an unknown Tabwa maker in the Lake Tanganyika region of southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It embodies the female ancestor of a Tabwa ruler. The creation of male and female ancestor figures by the Tabwa came about through changing power structures in this part of Central Africa. In the 19th century a group of elite Tabwa families gained leadership though their involvement in regional trade. As new rulers they wanted to prove that their right to rule was historically pre-determined so they commissioned local sculptors to create wooden figures that reflected their chiefly ancestry. A new genre of figure sculpture was established.