Comb

(UEM27071) Carved wooden comb decorated with two human-like male figures wearing round hats, sitting on chairs facing each other. Chokwe combs, decorated with geometrical designs typical of their art, were made for hair styling, often in conjunction with castor oil and red mud. The artistic designs symbolised social rank. The decorative carving of male figures facing each other could represent a chief’s authority and spiritual powers. The two male figures seated on a European-style chair are wearing European-style round hats. Among the Chokwe, hats could be infused with a magical substance. The design of the chairs and hats suggests how new ideas and commodities entered society through contact with Europeans from around the 16th Century. If so, the carvings would signify a changing world and the incorporation and adaptation of new influences in Chokwe society. The European-style chairs and hats may represent figures of authority, such as chiefs or ancestors, interacting with Europeans to connect the Chokwe allegiance to chiefs and ancestors within a changing socio-political environment.

Material: Wood
Region: Kasai, Chokwe
Height: 20 cm.
Arrival: Donated to the Museum by Dr Inge Heberg, 1920.