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African Mangbetu Tribe Carved Female Figure

Currency:USD Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:500.00 USD Estimated At:1,000.00 - 1,200.00 USD
African Mangbetu Tribe Carved Female Figure
Large female figure with high flat hat, scarification to eyes and scarification throughout body. Linguistic patterns indicate that the Mangbetu originated from the northeast, probably from modern day Sudan. As they moved southward they encountered Bantu migrations moving northward. They finally settled in their current homeland in the 19th century. This area had been occupied by the Mbuti. The Mangbetu intermarried with and subsumed many of the Bantu and pygmy populations they encountered. In the 19th century the Mangbetu Kingdom was established under Nabiembale and became the dominant political force in the region until 1880, when Sudanic and Islamic slavers entered the region, fragmenting the kingdom into sultanates controlled by Moslem leaders. When the Belgians arrived they expelled the slavers. 32.75" L, nicks and abrasions consistent with age. Mid. 20th century.