TRIBAL AFRICAN ART

ZANDE
(ADYO, AZANDE, BADJO, BAZENDA, BSANDE, IDIO, NIAM-NIAM, ZANDEH)

Central
African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan

The word azande means
"the people who possess much land." This relates to their history as
conquering warriors. The Zande migrated during the 18th century from Sudan to
the northern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, settling on the
banks of the Uele River. They live also in the Central African Republic and the
Sudan. They occupy a region of savanna and forest and in common with the
Mangbetu, Zande men hunt and fish while the women tend the fields. In political
terms, this ethnic group of 750,000 people is ruled by a king with succession
to the throne passing to his eldest son, while the younger ones govern the
kingdom's provinces. The Zande have been ruled by different members of a single
royal dynasty, the Avangara. Royal patronage was significant in the development
and movement of art throughout this area. The political structure is counterbalanced
by the mani secret
association, created at the end of the 19^th century.

Zande sculptures represent ancestors or animal figures with
simplified features and enlarged heads. The mani association
celebrates the importance of woman and uses statuette called yanda.
These statues are associated with the highest rank of the secret mani society.
The figures protect society members from the dangers of illness, hunting, evil
spirits, etc. Usually female figures are made from wood or fired clay; yanda figures
often wear accessories, such as bead collars, pendants, and coins.  The
society's chief would infuse the yanda with
his power by blowing smoke on it and rubbing it with a paste. The
pyramid-shaped head, simple in form, has a diamond-shaped face, protruding
eyes, and, often, iron rings in its ears and nose. The torso and neck are
cylindrical or rectangular, the extremities short. Its outlines are angular and
abstract. In some northern Zande areas, large pole-like figures have been
erected. These figures may have functioned as grave markers, a widespread
pattern for eastern Africa and the southern Sudan. The maternity figures are
also known, as are stylized and refined objects: neck-rests, flyswats, ivory
horns, and musical instruments such as drums, sanzas, and curved harps
decorated with a head and ending with a pair of legs. Masks are rare.