#ekonda

[panafrocore]

Bondjo - The Traditional Ekonda Trumpet: Symbolism and Evolution

The Bondjo Trumpet holds a significant cultural and historical importance among the Ekonda people, also known as the Konda, in Congo. Traditionally crafted as a side-blown trumpet, it was originally utilized in battle, reflecting its deep roots in the region’s martial history. Over time, however, its purpose has evolved to symbolize prestige and is often featured in ceremonial events such as the…

[aic-african]

Chief's Hat (Botolo), Ekonda, 1901, Art Institute of Chicago: Arts of Africa

This striking, well-preserved hat, or botolo, would have served as a critical component of an Ekonda chief’s public attire. Constructed out of woven raffia or cane fibers, it has nine brims in a pagoda-shaped tower and two brass or copper disks projected frontally from its base and upper portion. The disks may have been produced locally or imported from a neighboring group, and their primary function was to indicate wealth and prestige. On ceremonial occasions, these hats would often be treated with a combination of camwood powder and oil, which is what gives many of them their deep reddish hue.If a chief was the first in his line to rule, he would have to acquire a botolo, but hats of deceased rulers were generally preserved and passed down to their successors. The responsibilities of a chief, or nkumu, included the overseeing of all ceremonies, divinations, and other activities related to the spiritual well-being of his community. He had the exclusive right to the use of prestigious items, of which the botolo is the best known.—Permanent Collection Object Description Arnold Crane Endowment Size: 49.5 × 24.1 cm (19 1/2 × 9 1/2 in.) Medium: Fiber and copper alloy

https://www.artic.edu/artworks/140595/

[gerardbillet]

AKAA : Herve Yamguen : Série Bleue, Delphine Diallo : Mother-the Scream; Ekonda Batolo, Prince Gyzsi, Turiya Magdadlela, Dahmane ; O Africa, Khaled Hafiz : Once upon a jackal. #carreaudutemple #akaa #herveyamguen #seriebleue #yocs #delphinediallo #mother #thescream #ekonda #batolo #fisheye #princegyasi #turiyamagadlela #artmoderneetcontemporain #dahmane #oafrica #khaledhafez #oneupon #jackal #africa #instapic #photooftheday #parismaville (à Le Carreau du Temple) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWnFsKPMSms/?utm_medium=tumblr

[fishstickmonkey]

Ceremonial blade

Maker: Ekonda artist

Date: Early 20th century

Geography: Democratic Republic of the Congo

Medium: Iron, wood, kaolin

Smithsonian National Museum of African Art

[ijustmakepizzapies]

Thank you, Mr. Postman. #music #compactdisc #musica #africanmusic #afrique #zaire #southafrica #malombo #gabylitabembo #orchestrestukasduzaire #africanmusic #strutrecords #retroafric #congo #70smusic #ekonda #jazz #afrika #musiccollection #collection #musicnerd

[sa-waai]

A shaman woman of the Mongo people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo proudly shows her "3rd eye". Circa 1937.🇨🇩 The Mongo people are a Bantu ethnic group who live in the equatorial forest of Central Africa. They are the second largest ethnic group in the Democratic Republic of Congo, highly influential in its north region. A diverse collection of sub-ethnic groups, they are mostly residents of a region north of the Kasai and the Sankuru Rivers, south of the main Congo River bend. Their highest presence is in the province of Équateur and the northern parts of the Bandundu Province. The Mongo people, despite their diversity, share a common legend wherein they believe that they are the descendants of a single ancestor named Mongo. They also share similarities in their language and social organization, but also have differences. Anthropologists first proposed the Mongo unity as an ethnic group in 1938 particularly by Boelaert, followed by a major corpus on Mongo people in 1944 by Vanderkerken – then the governor of Équateur. The Mongo people traditionally speak the Mongo language (also called Nkundo) or one of the related languages in the Bantu Mongo family, in the Niger-Congo family of languages. The Lingala language, however, often replaces Mongo in urban centers. This language has about 200 dialects, and these are found clustered regionally as well as based on Mongo sub-ethnic group such as Bolia, Bokote, Bongandu, Ekonda, Iyaelima, Konda, Mbole, Mpama, Nkutu, Ntomba, Sengele, Songomeno, Dengese and Tetela-Kusu, Bakutu, Boyela and many others. Traditional religion of the Mongo people is largely one of ancestor worship, belief in nature spirits, fertility rites, with shamanic practices such as magic, sorcery, and body scarification. Mongo artistic achievements, songs, musical instruments and carvings show richness and high sophistication. https://www.instagram.com/p/ChHNLYADQ-3tyU6JYqsVfX-f4gE3rG1yhk_A2I0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[kungseyesfr]

A shaman woman of the Mongo people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo proudly shows her "3rd eye". Circa 1937.🇨🇩

The Mongo people are a Bantu ethnic group who live in the equatorial forest of Central Africa. They are the second largest ethnic group in the Democratic Republic of Congo, highly influential in its north region. A diverse collection of sub-ethnic groups, they are mostly residents of a region north of the Kasai and the Sankuru Rivers, south of the main Congo River bend. Their highest presence is in the province of Équateur and the northern parts of the Bandundu Province. The Mongo people, despite their diversity, share a common legend wherein they believe that they are the descendants of a single ancestor named Mongo.

They also share similarities in their language and social organization, but also have differences. Anthropologists first proposed the Mongo unity as an ethnic group in 1938 particularly by Boelaert, followed by a major corpus on Mongo people in 1944 by Vanderkerken – then the governor of Équateur. The Mongo people traditionally speak the Mongo language (also called Nkundo) or one of the related languages in the Bantu Mongo family, in the Niger-Congo family of languages. The Lingala language, however, often replaces Mongo in urban centers. This language has about 200 dialects, and these are found clustered regionally as well as based on Mongo sub-ethnic group such as Bolia, Bokote, Bongandu, Ekonda, Iyaelima, Konda, Mbole, Mpama, Nkutu, Ntomba, Sengele, Songomeno, Dengese and Tetela-Kusu, Bakutu, Boyela and many others.

Traditional religion of the Mongo people is largely one of ancestor worship, belief in nature spirits, fertility rites, with shamanic practices such as magic, sorcery, and body scarification.

Mongo artistic achievements, songs, musical instruments and carvings show richness and high sophistication.

Guys let's get our YouTube channel (YT: Historical Africa) to 20k subscribers. Kindly click on the link to subscribe. 🙏 https://youtube.com/c/HistoricalAfrica

[diverseheros-wip]

Short Story 1: Kai's Hunt

InvisiB

Name: B Smirnov or би Smirnov

Powers: Invisibility, Super Speed

Gender: Male (trans ftm)

Sexuality: Pansexual

Hometown: Siberia, Russia

Race: Russian

Suit: Plain Black (with grey pieces?)

I woke up to sun streaming through the windows of my ǯū, or chum. I looked out of the window in the birch bark and deer hide tent to see my dads smiling face.

“Hello son!” He said in our native evenki, smiling from ear to ear. We were out on a hunting trip, a few kilometers north of our usual town, Ekonda. We had been having a great time, using our native techniques in combination with my gift of invisibility by the spirits.

He left to go away from the tent, letting me get dressed. I put on my binder, one of the few things we had imported from our trade partners in Canada, and then donned my mix of traditional gear and modern underclothes.

I started by putting on my underclothes and continued with the reindeer hide leggings and moccasins, as well as a deerskin jacket. I opened the door of the chuum and felt the cool air hit me.

It was about 20-ish degrees (Celsius that is) and it was sunny. It was the perfect day for our hunt.

We went over to our pack of reindeer and mounted them. I got on mine, who was right next to my dad’s. I grabbed my bow, and my pike. I grabbed the latter, a long handled knife and attached it to my back. We were led by the elders and we went off.

We dismounted when we encountered some reindeer, the bow hunters in our group stayed back when I turned invisible and crept forward. The reindeer ended up hearing me and ran but I caught up and used the pike to kill it. We had great respect for nature so we tried to make it as swift as possible. I let the Bow men pick the rest off after I had ran back. We went and collected the carcasses, hanging them from our pack reindeer and going back to camp.

We all gathered around a fire and started praying.

“We thank you, spririts of nature, for bringing us the food we have hunted. We especially thank the swift fox for B’s blessing of swiftness and ucamaflauge.” Once we had finished the prayer we began dressing the first reindeer and cooking the reindeer over an open fire. We started telling stories about the past.

“Y’know, I’d like to tell you guys about the Siberian revolution. I know you’ve all heard it many times, but it is so important to us.” One of the elders started, “I was part of the resistance, on the front lines. If you could even call them that, it was mostly the work of the new government that got us here. It was the spring of 2024, you were about four years old then B, and we had just heard news of the new restrictions on our hunting lands. Obviously, we weren’t too happy, and after phoning around,” He continued,

“After phoning around we learned that there had been talks of independence throughout other villages. Even in the loca governments they had begun talks. So, we all started on our way to the capital of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Krasnoyarsk. Turns out, many people had the same idea. Eventually all Krais west of the Od river had declared independence from the Russians. Naturally our good old dictator Putin wasn’t too happy,” he said with a chuckle,

“We ended up having troops sent our way, but, since all of the Siberian troops had rebelled, they got stoped by the terrain, for some reason they thought tanks could get though here. They were wrong of course. We met the remaining soldiers on foot at the Ob river and had a mini battle. Eventually they had no horses, and no way to escape so they surrendered.” He said, smiling proud at his accomplishment,

“They haven’t threatened us since, and we organized the Coalition Of Siberian States. In fact, I was on the committee that helped decide the name!” He finished with a smile.

We all chuckled, we had heard that story a thousand times over, but I had always found it interesting.

“So who wants to hear about when B was a wee little boy?” My dad started with a grin on his face. I tackled him, pushing him off the log. I tried to maintain a straight face but we both ended up dissolving in laughter...

[federer7]

Bontongu, one of the last bantu walé, 2012

© Patrick Willocq

“Dans la forêt équatoriale du Congo (RDC), certaines femmes pygmées Batwas chez les Ekondas, mères pour la première fois, vivent recluses avec leurs enfants au milieu d’autres femmes chargées de leur bien-être. On les appelle les « Walés », ce qui signifie « femmes qui allaitent ». Le rituel a la particularité de mettre les jeunes femmes en concurrence. Elle s’attribue donc elle-même un sobriquet qui la différencie de ses rivales. Chaque jour, la jeune femme s’engage dans une toilette élaborée conçue pour attirer l’attention de tout le monde sur elle et faire étalage de son unicité. Le respect de l’interdit sexuel pendant cette période, en dépit de son attractivité et de sa jeunesse, lui confère un statut semblable à celui d’un patriarche. Pendant ce temps de réclusion, elles doivent aussi créer un spectacle de danses et de chants pour le grand jour : leur libération. Les chansons interprétées sont spécifiques à chaque Walé. Depuis plusieurs années, le photographe Patrick Willocq collabore avec ces jeunes mères, actrices très complices de sa démarche, et tente ainsi de percer les mystères de ce rite initiatique ô combien symbolique.”

[shewhoworshipscarlin]

Bondjo of the Ekonda people, 1915, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

[jordiruizcentelles]

Los Ekonda y sus objetos de prestigio moneda Cap.XVI#ekonda #Cuchillosparada #espadasByongi #byongi #Hierroforjado #forja #metalafricano #Artesanos #monedaafricana#africa #Ngulu

[tizianomazzilli]

King (featuring The Ekonda Women) by Ian Simmonds [Ebi Soda Rework] #iansimmonds #ebisoda #electronicmusic #nowspinning #mymixtapes (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CE65tgTHUKt/?igshid=lf9q8459sge3

[aic-african]

Chief's Hat (Botolo), Ekonda, 1901, Art Institute of Chicago: Arts of Africa

This striking, well-preserved hat, or botolo, would have served as a critical component of an Ekonda chief’s public attire. Constructed out of woven raffia or cane fibers, it has nine brims in a pagoda-shaped tower and two brass or copper disks projected frontally from its base and upper portion. The disks may have been produced locally or imported from a neighboring group, and their primary function was to indicate wealth and prestige. On ceremonial occasions, these hats would often be treated with a combination of camwood powder and oil, which is what gives many of them their deep reddish hue.If a chief was the first in his line to rule, he would have to acquire a botolo, but hats of deceased rulers were generally preserved and passed down to their successors. The responsibilities of a chief, or nkumu, included the overseeing of all ceremonies, divinations, and other activities related to the spiritual well-being of his community. He had the exclusive right to the use of prestigious items, of which the botolo is the best known.—Permanent Collection Object Description Arnold Crane Endowment Size: 49.5 × 24.1 cm (19 1/2 × 9 1/2 in.) Medium: Fiber and copper alloy

https://www.artic.edu/artworks/140595/

[safereturndoubtful]

Congo Inc. by In Koli Jean Bofane

(translated by  Marjolijn De Jager)

This was the first book I’ve read from a series from the Indiana University Press called Global African Voices. 26 year old Isookanga, from the Ekonda clan, who are unkindly and demeaningly referred to as ‘Pygmies’, leaves his family deep in the forest of the Congo to explore the world of commerce and technology in Kinshasa. Initially he struggles to make any money or friends, and settles amongst a group of street children; due to his small stature he is mistaken as a child. Though Isookanga, his enterprise of selling bottled water, and other themes of globalisation exploiting the Congolese, provide the backbone to the novel, the real interest is in the street children, or shégués who have experienced military raids on their rural villages, domestic abuse, and prostitution. After one of them is killed on the streets, the awful character of the entirely unreformed warlord Kiro Bizimungu is introduced. He is of Rwandan Tutsi origin, one who fled the genocide towards the Democratic Republic of Congo (a few were left alive to tell the story of the horrors) and then began to hunt down Hutus who fled from post-genocide Tutsi-dominated Rwanda into the Congo which in turn led to genocide-style activities similar to which they had been subjected themselves. In scenes that flashback to those times Bofane’s writing is some of the most horrific and powerful that I have ever read. Unsurprisingly, the main storyline of the novel becomes of much less interest than that of the fate of Bizimungu. This is a very impressive work on the heart of contemporary Africa; vivid in its description, in some places disturbingly so, and giving a fascinating insight into life in Kinshasa, aswell as the country's recent history, and what the population has had to deal with.

[fishstickmonkey]

Anklet  (konga)

Maker: Ekonda artist

Date: 19th-20th century

Geography: Democratic Republic of the Congo

Medium: Copper alloy

Smithsonian National Museum of African Art

[miss-rosen]

CELEBRATING THIS DAY IN 1965 WHEN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO TOOK ITS NAME THE CLASSICS | PATRICK WILLOQ: SONG OF THE WALES Miss Rosen for Feature Shoot

The Bantu (Pygmy) tribes of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are among the oldest peoples living on earth. Believed to be the direct descendants of Late Stone Age hunter-gatherers of the central African rainforest, they have maintained traditions and rituals that date back thousands of years. When women of the Ekonda pygmy tribe become first-time mothers, they become Walés (“nursing mothers”), living in seclusion with their children. Here they are tended to by other women who teach them about their health and that of their children, who regardless of gender are the heir of the family and sometimes the entire clan. Read the Full Story at Feature Shoot Photo: NTEMBE, SPARROW-HAWK WALE. Ntembe — the doubter. From the village of Bokondobuna. Boonde clan. © Patrick Willocq

Bottom: WALE BAKUKU, ANTS DISH. Bakuku — the queen. From the village of Bokondobuna. Boonde clan. © Patrick Willocq