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Bachokwe
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History
The Bachokwe are a small tribe. The are thought to have originated from Babundu and pygmies. Their wealth increased from successful trading and from 1850 onwards they conquered more territories and expanded their influence. |
Location
Zaire (Democratic Republic of Congo) |
Religion
The Bachokwe worship Nzambi (the supreme being). There are a variety of cults, the main one being to the Mahamba, who are the intermediaries between the tribespeople and god. |
Economy
They subsist on farming and herding. There is general hunting of small game but only the hunter's society hunt for big game. They collect honey and domesticate goats, sheep, chickens, dogs and pigss. They practice a "slash and burn" system of farming with crop rotation. Men are not involved in farming. There is some trading of beeswax and ivory for guns. |
Sociopolitical
They have no main chief. The tribe is divided inot chiefdoms led by land chiefs who are assested by wise elder persons in the tribe. The bachokwe are matrilineal, with the lineages fragmented and dispersed over a huge area but all are traceable to the clan ancestors. |
Masks and Sculpture
| All the masks (mukishi) are worn by men. They usually represent spirits and can be classified into three categories: |
- The sacred mask Cikungu invokes ancestral spirits of the land chief. It is worn by the chief or sometimes by a close relative.
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- Initiation related masks form the second category. These include Cikunza, the main initiation mask. Other initiation masks represent spirits found in nature.
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- The third category consists of the dance masks which are of wood, usually dyed red, with netted coiffures. Cihongo is the male mask and represents wealth and power, while Mwana wo symbolises the female ancestor.
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