Editing African art (section)

===== Luba Kingdom =====
{{Main|Luba art}}
{{See also|Luba Kingdom|Lukasa|Ngongo ya Chintu}}
The [[Kingdom of Luba]] or Luba Empire (1585&ndash;1889) was a pre-colonial Central African state that arose in the marshy grasslands of the [[Upemba Depression]] in what is now the southern part of the [[Democratic Republic of Congo]]. Today, the [[Luba people]] or baLuba are an ethno-linguistic group indigenous to the south-central region of the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]].<ref name="Gates2010p14">{{cite book|last= Heath|first= Elizabeth| editor1=Anthony Appiah|editor2=Henry Louis Gates|title=Encyclopedia of Africa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A0XNvklcqbwC |year=2010|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-533770-9|pages=88–89, 14–15}}</ref> The majority of them live in this country, residing mainly in its [[Katanga Province|Katanga]], [[Kasai region|Kasai]], and [[Maniema]] provinces.

As in the [[Kuba Kingdom]], the Luba Kingdom held the arts in high esteem. A carver held relatively high status, which was displayed by an [[adze]] (axe) that he carried over his shoulder. [[Luba art]] was not very uniform because of the vast territory which the kingdom controlled. However, some characteristics are common. The important role of women in the creation myths and political society resulted in many objects of prestige being decorated with female figures.

<gallery widths="170px" heights="170px">
Appuie-tête Luba-RDC.jpg|Headrest; 19th century; wood; height: {{convert|18.5|cm|in|abbr=on}}, width: {{convert|19|cm|in|abbr=on}}, thickness: {{convert|8|cm|in|abbr=on}}; [[Musée du quai Branly]] (Paris). This headrest presents 19th century Luba hairstyles, as well as the long limbs, bent-back legs, cylindrical torso and dynamic pose typical of the artist who made it.
File:Brooklyn Museum 22.1129 Image of Standing Woman (2).jpg|Figurine of a standing woman; late 19th or early 20th century; wood; 27.9 × 8.3 × 10.2&nbsp;cm (11 × 3{{fraction|1|4}} × 4 in.); [[Brooklyn Museum]] (New York City)
Brooklyn Museum 82.213.1 Heddle Pulley with Female Head.jpg|Heddle pulley with female head; late 19th or early 20th century; wood; 20.6 × 5.4 × 4.8&nbsp;cm (8{{fraction|1|8}} × 2{{fraction|1|8}} × 1{{fraction|7|8}} in); Brooklyn Museum
Masque kifwebe luba-Musée royal de l'Afrique centrale.JPG|Kifwebe mask; wood; [[Royal Museum for Central Africa]] ([[Tervuren]], Belgium)
</gallery>