Country/Region of Manufacture: Congo

Culture: African

Title	Luba cask Congo African Art Miniature
County of origin	Democratic Republic of Congo
People	Luba
Type of object	cask
Materials	Wood
Approx. size	30 cm--12 inches high.

Additional Information: A Luba
standing female figure.

The Luba are one of the dominant cultures of the Congo, and
perhaps number around one million. The Luba empire, which at one time stretched
from the west all the way to Lake Tanganyika, was at its most powerful from
around 1500 to the 1870's, when expansion reached east to lake's edge. The
decline of Luba power began soon afterwards, and can be traced to Arab slave
raiders and European colonialists, who did not recognize the power of Luba laws
and rituals, and alas, also possessed rifles and horses. Though no longer
politically powerful, Luba influences are still felt today throughout much of
the DRC. They are debatable the most recognized and respected of all the
art-producing cultures in central Africa. Most texts on African art will devote
a major section to the Luba, and a great source.