| ca.1880 print WEAVER, BATEKE PEOPLE, CONGO BRAZZAVILLE (#65) |
Print titled Tisserand, page size approx. 22 x 15.5 cm, text in French on the back, nice coloring. From: Cahiers d'Enseignement Nr. 69 - Colonies françaises - Congo français - Région des Batékés et de l'Alima. Publisher: Ludovic Baschet, éditeur, 125, Boul. St-Germain, Paris. Grav. Imp., Gillot, 79, rue Madame. Not dated, published some time between 1875 and 1890.
Click image or here to view larger version
Teke people
The Teke people, or Bateke in the plural, are a
Bantu Central African ethnic group that speak the Teke languages.
Its population is situated mainly in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo, the Republic of the Congo and with a minority in Gabon.
Omar Bongo, who was President of Gabon in the late 20th century,
was a Bateke.
Ethnography and traditions
The name of the tribe shows what the occupation of the tribe was:
trading. The word teke means 'to buy'. The economy of the Teke is
mainly based on farming maize, millet and tobacco, but the Teke
are also hunters, skilled fishermen and traders. The Teke lived
in an area across Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of
the Congo and Gabon. The mfumu was the head of the family and his
prestige grew as family members increased. The Teke sometimes
chose blacksmiths as chiefs. The blacksmiths were important in
the community and this occupation was passed down from father to
son. In terms of spiritual life of the Teke, the village chief
was chosen as religious leader, he was the most important tribal
member and he would keep all the potions and spiritual bones that
would be used in traditional ceremonies to speak to the spirits
and rule safety over his people.
Teke Mask, Brooklyn Museum.
Teke masks are mainly used in traditional dancing ceremonies such
as wedding, funeral and initiation ceremonies of young men
entering adult hood. The mask is also used as a social and
political identifier of social structure within a tribe or family.
The Teke or Kidumu people are well known for their Teke masks,
which are round flat disk-like wooden masks that have abstract
patterns and geometric motifs with horizontal lines that are
painted in earthly colors, mainly dark blue, blacks, browns and
clays. The traditional Teke masks all have triangle shaped noses.
The masks have narrow eye slits to enable the masker to see
without being seen. They have holes pierced along the edge for
the attachment of a woven raffia dress with feathers and fibers.
The mask is held in place with a bite bar at the back that the
wearer holds in his teeth. The dress would add to the mask's
costume and conceal the wearer. The masks originate from the
upper Ogowe region.
The French first arrived in the what is now Democratic Republic
of Congo in late 1800, and occupied the Congo until the 1880s.
During this colonial period, traditional Teke ceremonies were
very few. Under the French, the Teke people suffered heavily from
colonial exploitation. The French government was gathering land
for its own use and damaging traditional economies, including
massive displacement of people. The Teke kingdom signed a treaty
with the French in 1883 that gave the French land in return for
protection. Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza oversaw French interests.
A small settlement along the Congo River was renamed Brazzaville
and became the capital of the area now called the Middle Congo.
In the 1960s the Teke people started to gain back their
independence and traditional life started to flourish once again.
Please e-mail me if you have any questions. I prefer payment by PayPal, but I'll also accept any other payment method and currency (except direct payment by credit card) that is convenient for buyer. I combine shipping of multiple items.
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT SHIPPING: Price quoted with auction is for airmail to the US. Please don't pay before you receive invoice from me.