TRIBAL AFRICAN ART
ZANDE (ADYO, AZANDE, BADJO, BAZENDA, BSANDE,
IDIO, NIAM-NIAM, ZANDEH)
Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of
the Congo, Sudan
The word azande
means "the people who possess much land." This relates to their history as
conquering warriors. The Zande migrated during the 18th century from Sudan to the northern
part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, settling on the banks of the Uele River.
They live also in the Central African Republic and the Sudan. They occupy a region of
savanna and forest and in common with the Mangbetu, Zande men hunt and fish while the
women tend the fields. In political terms, this ethnic group of 750,000 people is ruled by
a king with succession to the throne passing to his eldest son, while the younger ones
govern the kingdom's provinces. The Zande have been ruled by different members of a single
royal dynasty, the Avangara. Royal patronage was significant in the development and
movement of art throughout this area. The political structure is counterbalanced by the mani
secret association, created at the end of the 19th century.
Zande sculptures represent ancestors
or animal figures with simplified features and enlarged heads. The mani
association celebrates the importance of woman and uses statuette called yanda.
These statues are associated with the highest rank of the secret mani society. The
figures protect society members from the dangers of illness, hunting, evil spirits, etc.
Usually female figures are made from wood or fired clay; yanda figures often wear
accessories, such as bead collars, pendants, and coins. The society's chief would
infuse the yanda with his power by blowing smoke on it
and rubbing it with a paste. The pyramid-shaped head, simple in form, has a diamond-shaped
face, protruding eyes, and, often, iron rings in its ears and nose. The torso and neck are
cylindrical or rectangular, the extremities short. Its outlines are angular and abstract.
In some northern Zande areas, large pole-like figures have been erected. These figures may
have functioned as grave markers, a widespread pattern for eastern Africa and the southern
Sudan. The maternity figures are also known, as are stylized and refined objects:
neck-rests, flyswats, ivory horns, and musical instruments such as drums, sanzas, and
curved harps decorated with a head and ending with a pair of legs. Masks are rare.
Visit our
Museum Store