Pipe Lega in bone, H: 30 cm - Lega - South Africa (No reserve price)

Wooden carved pipe adorned with several faces, Lega ethnicity.
This type of tribal art object Iginga (Maginga in the plural) was the property of the high-ranking members of the Bwami, a secret society admitting men and their wives, and governing social life.
This organization was subdivided into initiation stages, the highest being the Kindi. Following their exodus from Uganda during the 17th century, the Lega settled on the western bank of the Lualaba River, in the DRC. Also called Warega, these individuals live in autonomous villages surrounded by palisades, typically on hilltops.
The role of the chief, kindi, is held by the eldest man of the clan, who must be the highest ranking. As in other forest tribes, the men hunt and clear land while the women cultivate manioc.
Social recognition and authority also had to be earned individually: the chief earned his selection by his heart (mutima), a good character, his intelligence, and impeccable behavior. Source: "Art of the Lega" E.L. Cameron.