VTG African Kuba Tribe Box Zaire Hand-Carved Wood Powder Medicine.

Han-carved vintage tukula powder box from Africa. Face and geometric design carved on half circle shape. Sides of box are also carved. Lid comes off and is separate from the box.

There is a place where the rim inside the lid is sanded off. I think it may be where a utensil could rest.

This unique box could be the start of your vintage African carved wood collection, or be the centerpiece of quality in an existing collection.

Dimensions are 9 In wide by 4 In high at the top of the arc. The box is 1.25 In deep.

Below is a description from a box listing on a different platform for a very similar box:

“Vintage Kuba carved half moon-shaped wooden medicine box with lid.

Originally created to hold tukula, a red powder.

Tukula, a bright red pigment, is obtained by rubbing together pieces of heartwood from a tropical tree. Ground in a mortar, tukula becomes a fine powder that is mixed with palm oil to create a paste, which can be variously shaped. Tukula can be used as a textile dye, paint for carved objects, as well as used in cosmetics.

The Kuba peoples are a cluster of about 16 Bantu-speaking groups in southeastern Congo (Kinshasa), living between the Kasai and Sankuru rivers east of their confluence. They are renowned for their decorative arts and textiles.”