Elephant hunting spear with wooden handle, metal blade, and cord wrapped around the handle attaching the blade; thought to be made by villagers and used by the Mbuti of the Ituri forest.
Hunting spear with wooden handle, metal blade with intricate shape, and cord wrapped around the handle attaching the blade; origin Bira people of the Ituri rainforest.
Painting of the Ituri rainforest, home of the Mbuti people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), by Anne Eisner Putnam. Heavy oil palette and brush, acrylic possibly used; signed "Anne Eisner", lower right.
Ivory tooth or tusk carved into an ornate ring with a circle and dot motif; resembles a napkin ring; origin eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire).
Ivory replica of a European shoehorn; profile of a woman with sculptured hair, black holes for eyes; torso resembles woman wearing a dress in the shape of a shoehorn; origin Mangbetu people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire).
Ivory replica of a snail shell, seven holes indicate that it may have come unglued from another piece; origin eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire).
Wooden ceremonial mask made for the Bwadi ya Kifwebe association, a group that polices social behavior and neutralizes disruptive elements within the Luba people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The masks are worn in a variety of ceremonies.
Ten-note barrel-shaped sound box, also known as board piano or thumb piano and lukembi, likembe, or kalimba; wooden with keys made from spoon handles, bicycle spikes, or metal keys hammered to the desired shape; keys plucked with thumb and fingers; open at top and closed at bottom; one hole in bottom and one on back; semi-circular red markings on sides and top, rectangles etched on sides; metal wrapped around keys; origin Bira people of the Ituri rainforest.
Twelve-note sound box, also known as thumb piano, board piano, lukembi, or kalimba; wooden with keys made from spoon handles, bicycle spikes, or metal keys hammered to the desired shape; keys plucked with thumb and fingers; one hole on base and one on back; one key has a coil wrap; crudely decorated with lines and scratch-like marks on back; origin Ngwanda people of Central Africa.
Sixteen-note sound box, also known as board piano or thumb piano and lukembi, likembe, or kalimba; wooden with keys made from spoon handles, bicycle spikes, or metal keys hammered to the desired shape; keys plucked with thumb and fingers; two holes under the keys and some decoration on the side; inscription "RUMBA OPIKA MIE LEON L24B1954.BUNIA"; origin Bira people of the Ituri rainforest.
