spira, viska, insignia, whisk

Gud, försedd med plym och felsvans. Köpt. (Spira? enl nytt kort)
Bredd: 57 cm, Tjocklek: 10 cm, Höjd: 7 cm
Ursprung: Nedre Kongo (Kongo-Kinshasa enl. nytt kort)
Etnisk grupp: Babwende

God, provided with plume and xxx-tail. Bought. (Sceptre? acc. to new card)
Width: 57 cm, Thickness: 10 cm, Height: 7 cm.
Origin: Lower Congo (Congo-Kinshasa acc. to new card)
Ethnic group: Babwende (utställningstext Horisonter - röster från ett globalt Afrika)

Whisk (mfunka) with handle in the shape of a dog. In the early 1900s, it belonged to Chief Makasa Biyala of Kinkenge district. A dog was the most important companion of the priest (nganga), a symbol of the ability to move between visible and invisible realms. Chiefs were also considered to have occult powers and to be able to communicate with the spirits.

Around the turn of the 20th century, there were many types of leaders in the region, from village chiefs, clan and territorial leaders, to so called "medal chiefs" appointed by the colonial administration. This was the result of several hundred years of transformation. The centralized Kingdom of Kongo waned and was replaced by local chiefs, who were later undermined in their turn by the Europeans. Finally, the colonial masters appointed their own chiefs among the local population.