B C H K L M N P S T W Y Z
Ko Ku

Kuba

KUBA

TYPES OF ART

Aside from beautiful cloth, the Kuba also produce carved wooden masks and figures. They also carve headrests, divination oracles, and anthropomorphic cups.

HISTORY

In the 16th century, the Kuba peoples migrated from the distant north to their current location along the Sankuru River. When they arrived, however, they found that the Twa already lived there. The Twa were eventually absorbed into the Kuba Kingdom, but retained some independent cultural characteristics. The height of the Kingdom was during the mid-19th century. Europeans first reached the area in 1884, but the Kuba, being relatively isolated, were not as affected by the slave trade as many of the other peoples in the area. The Nsapo invaded during the late 19th century, and the Kingdom was broken up to a large extent.

ECONOMY

The rivers which define the Kuba territory provide the fish consumed in the area. They also farm maize and cassava, both of which were imported from the new world. The Kuba weave beautiful raffia cloth, which is embroidered by the women and traded to surrounding areas.

POLITICAL SYSTEMS

The Kuba Kingdom is actually comprised of numerous smaller ethnic groups, including the Bushoong, Ngeende, Kel, Pyaang, Bulaang, Bieeng, Ilebo, Idiing, Kaam, Ngoombe Kayuweeng, Shoowa, Bokila, Maluk, and Ngongo. The King of Kuba is always Bushoong. Each of the ethnic groups has a representative in residence at the Bushoong court.

RELIGION

The Kuba oral history tells of the creation of the world by Bumba, who decreed that the Bushoong would always be the ruling class. This creator god is not formally worshiped. At one time the Kuba had a religion based on ancestor worship, but this seems to have died out, although divination is still practiced in order to discover causes of evil. Success during hunting is recognized as a gift from the gods. It is not incidental that diviners often employ carved wooden hunting dogs as rubbing oracles in order to arrive at their knowledge. Dogs are seen throughout the region as responsible for delivering the will of the god, whether it be through hunting or through the diviner.

FACTS ABOUT KUBA

LOCATION

COUNTRIES

Democratic Republic of the Congo

LANGUAGES

BaKuba (central Bantu)

POPULATION

250,000

NEIGHBORING PEOPLES

Chokwe, Luba, Luluwa, Lele

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