African Zande DRC Wooden Fertility Statue and Old Wooden Carved Kuba DRC Palm Wine Cup

A WOODEN FERTILITY STATUE AND VERY OLD WOODEN CUP. THE FERTILITY STATUE HAVE FEATURES CHARACTERISTIC TO STATUES OF THE ZANDE TRIBAL PEOPLE OF THE DRC NORTHERN CONGO.
 
THE WOODEN HAND CARVED CUP WITH ENGRAVED AND RAISED RELIEF DESIGN STANDING 17.5CM HIGH ALSO COMES FROM THE CONGO. This cup was made to hold palm wine on special occasions and originates from the kingdom of Kuba, now incorporated into the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ornately designed cups were often created as a form of competition among tribe members. The cups were used to drink palm wine. Palm wine, made from raffia palm trees, was a popular beverage among Kuba men and women. Additionally, elaborately decorated cups were generally reserved for ceremonial purposes.
 
FERTILITY STATUES:
According to African legend, the bearer of a fertility doll will give birth to a beautiful child. Ferility Dolls are carved wooden figures that are believed to induce pregnancy and ensure safe delivery at birth. They are consecrated by priests and carried by women who hope to conceive a child. 
Sometimes two statues are carved, tribesmen carve statues of a man and woman from wood. According to some tribal legends, when the two statues are placed on either side of a doorway leading to a bedroom, they were known to ensure a couples fertility. If a woman, or her spouse, were to touch either statue as they entered the room, they would soon after become pregnant.
 
SIZE: STATUE 6CM WIDE 30CM HIGH 6CM DEEP
CUP 17.5CM HIGH 7CM DIAMETER TOP RIM
 
CONDITION: CLEAR AGE RELATED WEAR. SMALL CHIP TO RIM AND BASE OF CUP. STILL IN GOOD CONDITION. NOTE THE BATON PARTLY SEEN ON TWO PHOTOS IS NOT PART OF THIS LISTING! 
 
ZANDE DRC:
THE ZANDE (OR AZANDE) OF THE DRC NORTHERN CONGO ARE RENOWNED FOR THESE SMALL CAPTIVATING FIGURINES WHOSE FORMS ARE VERY SIMPLIFIED. MANY END IN RATHER SQUATE POWERFUL LEGS WITH LARGE RECTANGULAT FEET LIKE THIS ONE WITH 5 TOES MARKED.
These small but powerful works of art have deep spiritual meaning, believed to house the spirits of ancestors and supernatural beings and symbolize a link between the living world and the spiritual world.
Used in rituals and ceremonies, Zande figures offer protection, wisdom and blessings to those who seek their guidance.
 
KUBA KINGDOM DRC:
The Kuba Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of the Bakuba or Bushongo, is a traditional kingdom in Central Africa. The Kuba Kingdom flourished between the 17th and 19th centuries in the region bordered by the Sankuru, Lulua, and Kasai rivers in the heart of the modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo.
 
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