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Ngesh
In the Kuba region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the belief in nature spirits, called ''ngesh'' or ''mingeh'', is widespread. Ngesh are believed to possess human characteristics, live near water sources in forests or villages, and may be encountered at any time.Mack, John. "Animal Representations in Kuba Art: An Anthropological Interpretation of Sculpture" in ''Oxford Art Journal'', Vol. 4, No. 2, Sculpture (Nov., 1981), pp. 50-56. Published by: Oxford University PressArticle Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1360140 Community residents know the name of local ''ngesh'' and their offspring. ''Ngesh'' impose themselves on various human affairs, including the control of harvest and the fertility of women. Each ''ngesh ''is named and distinguished from one another; the Kuba invest each ''ngesh'' with its own particular temperament, the likes and dislikes of which set off its volatile nature. The ''ngesh ''have their own individual character. Ngesh and Kuba masquerade Ori ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kuba Masquerade
The Bushong Kuba are responsible for some of the most beautiful and sophisticated masquerade or dance traditions in Africa. ''Ngesh'' and masquerade Origin stories for some Kuba masking traditions describe how the mask's creators first encountered a '' ngesh'' in the forest and, after a period of disorientation, returns home to carve a likeness of the ''ngesh''. While ''ngesh'' are rarely represented by figurative sculpture, they are thought to be personified in masquerade figures, which are in turn empowered by these nature spirits. The potential for masked performers to become aggressive is a fundamental part of Kuba masquerade, and it is a reflection of the influence of the unpredictable nature of ''ngesh'' on Kuba masked dancers. The association between ngesh and masquerade is also underscored by strict rules that forbid spectators from touching the masks or coming too close to a masked dancer. ''Mukanda'' initiation rites Kuba initiation rites for boys and young men and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kuba Kingdom
The Kuba Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of the Bakuba or Bushongo, is a traditional kingdom in Central Africa. The Kuba Kingdom flourished between the 17th and 19th centuries in the region bordered by the Sankuru, Lulua, and Kasai rivers in the heart of the modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Kuba Kingdom was a conglomerate of several smaller Bushongo-speaking principalities as well as the Kete, Coofa, Mbeengi, and the Kasai Twa Pygmies. The original Kuba migrated during the 16th century from the north. Nineteen different ethnic groups are included in the kingdom, which still exists and is presided over by the King (''nyim''). History Shyaam a-Mbul The kingdom began as a conglomeration of several chiefdoms of various ethnic groups An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Democratic Republic Of Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in Central Africa. It is bordered to the northwest by the Republic of the Congo, to the north by the Central African Republic, to the northeast by South Sudan, to the east by Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi, and by Tanzania (across Lake Tanganyika), to the south and southeast by Zambia, to the southwest by Angola, and to the west by the South Atlantic Ocean and the Cabinda exclave of Angola. By area, it is the second-largest country in Africa and the 11th-largest in the world. With a population of around 108 million, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most populous officially Francophone country in the world. The national capital and largest city is Kinshasa, which is also the nation's economic center. Centered on the Congo Ba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kuba Art
Kuba art comprises a diverse array of media, much of which was created for the courts of chiefs and kings of the Kuba Kingdom. Such work often featured decorations, incorporating cowrie shells and animal skins (especially leopard) as symbols of wealth, prestige and power. Masks are also important to the Kuba. They are used both in the rituals of the court and in the initiation of boys into adulthood, as well as at funerals. The Kuba produce embroidered raffia textiles which in the past was made for adornment, woven currency, or as tributary goods for funerals and other seminal occasions. The wealth and power of the court system allowed the Kuba to develop a class of professional artisans who worked primarily for the courts but also produced objects of high quality for other individuals of high status. Culture and history Kuba was a multicultural kingdom in Central Africa, which developed during the early seventeenth century and reached its peak in the second half of the ninetee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
