Object Details
- Label Text
- Precolonial Lega society was governed by Bwami, a graded association open to all men and women in a given village. Bwami was also an educational system through which esteemed Lega values were taught. Above all, Bwami conveyed prestige, and its activities were the sole impetus for the visual arts.
- Spoons carved in a variety of forms from elephant ivory and bone were Bwami status symbols and initiation devices. These spoons were never used for ordinary eating purposes. Instead, they were used symbolically, for "feeding" a kindi elder during a ritual.
- The handle of this spoon takes the form of a small knife, used by Bwami elders.
- Description
- Ivory spoon with egg shaped bowl and long, triangular handle with central ridge. Spoon has overall reddish honey color.
- Provenance
- Eliot Elisofon, New York, -- to 1973
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Data Source
- National Museum of African Art
- Maker
- Lega artist
- Date
- Early to mid-20th century
- Credit Line
- Bequest of Eliot Elisofon
- Medium
- Ivory
- Dimensions
- H x D: 19.1 x 4.4 cm (7 1/2 x 1 3/4 in.)
- Type
- Sculpture
