GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Founded in 1585 by King Kongolo, the Luba kingdom of the present-day southeastern Democratic Kingdom of the Congo, peaked in the 17th century when it controlled a federation of kingdoms. Luba art is made for the veneration of ancestors, secret societies, and the king's court. The frequent depiction of women in Luba art, particularly on prestige objects, attests to the iconic status of women in the matriarchal society. The empire began to collapse in the 1860s as a result of raids, slave traders, and Belgian consolidation. Today the Luba number over four million people.
Adapted from
Roslyn A. Walker, The Arts of Africa at the Dallas Museum of Art (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2009), 303.
NOTES
ASSOCIATED CONTENT CHUNKS (list applicable note links)
AUDIO ASSETS
Learn about the Luba peoples, 44997625: UMO
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- University of Iowa Museum of Art, Art & Life in Africa~Learn more about the Luba peoples.
- University of Iowa Museum of Art, Art & Life in Africa~Read an essay about Luba art and divination.
- Smart History~Read an overview of the peoples and cultures in Africa.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES (digitized/non-digitized)
FUN FACTS
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
apply to objects where culture contains luba
Category
rules_operator
AND
General Description
Founded in 1585 by King Kongolo, the Luba kingdom of the present-day southeastern Democratic Kingdom of the Congo, peaked in the 17th century when it controlled a federation of kingdoms. Luba art is made for the veneration of ancestors, secret societies, and the king's court. The frequent depiction of women in Luba art, particularly on prestige objects, attests to the iconic status of women in the matriarchal society. The empire began to collapse in the 1860s as a result of raids, slave traders, and Belgian consolidation. Today the Luba number over four million people.
Adapted from
Roslyn A. Walker, The Arts of Africa at the Dallas Museum of Art (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2009), 303.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
(digitized/non-digitized)
Web Resources
- University of Iowa Museum of Art, Art & Life in Africa~Learn more about the Luba peoples.
- University of Iowa Museum of Art, Art & Life in Africa~Read an essay about Luba art and divination.
- Smart History~Read an overview of the peoples and cultures in Africa.
Notes
rules
Apply To
Objects
culture
Contains
luba
source file
peoples_and_societies-0043.xml.nores