Yaka

Visions of Africa

The Yaka, a tribe in the southwestern corner of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have for over a century produced figurative statuettes, masks, and other objects that have fascinated Western scholars, collectors, and explorers. This impressive book brings together some of the earliest examples, as well as some of the most visually striking, and explores their uses in installation and initiation ceremonies and curative rituals, examining their relationship to leadership, divination, and sorcery. Colonial influences as well as “anti-fetish” religious movements are studied for their impact onYaka traditional art.

Arthur P. Bourgeois is Professor Emeritus in Art History at Governors State University in University Park, Illinois.