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KALIMBANGONA FIGURE
This kalimbangona was used in the initiation rites of the Bwami society, a complex male organization that governed most ritual, social, and legal behaviors of the Lega peoples. Kalimbangona figures were the means by which the ideas of the Bwami society were communicated to the initiates, since the figures were held to be the tangible manifestation of these ideas. Such figures were highly prized and considered to be an indication of high social standing in Lega communities. The bead-encrusted eyes of this figure indicate its exceptional value.
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