Lega

E499773

The Lega are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, known for their distinctive wooden masks and figures used in the Bwami initiation society.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Lega canonical 4

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Bantu people ⓘ
ethnic group ⓘ
artCollectionFoundIn Metropolitan Museum of Art ⓘ
Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac ⓘ
Royal Museum for Central Africa ⓘ
artForm figurative sculpture ⓘ
mask carving ⓘ
artStyle abstract wooden sculpture ⓘ
artUsedFor marking initiation grades ⓘ
moral instruction ⓘ
teaching proverbs ⓘ
associatedWith Bwami society ⓘ
continent Africa ⓘ
country Democratic Republic of the Congo ⓘ
culturalHeritage Bwami regalia ⓘ
didactic sculptures ⓘ
ivory and bone figures ⓘ
culturalPractice age‑grade initiation ⓘ
esoteric teaching through art objects ⓘ
ethnographicRegion Congo rainforest ⓘ
linked to: Congo Rainforest
hasAlternativeName Rega ⓘ
Warega ⓘ
knownFor initiation rituals ⓘ
wooden figures ⓘ
wooden masks ⓘ
languageFamily Bantu languages ⓘ
locatedIn Kivu region ⓘ
Maniema Province ⓘ
neighboringEthnicGroup Kongo ⓘ
Luba ⓘ
Tutsi ⓘ
partOf Bantu peoples of Central Africa ⓘ
linked to: Bantu peoples
populationEstimate hundreds of thousands ⓘ
primaryLanguage Lega language ⓘ
region eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo ⓘ
religion Christianity ⓘ
traditional African religion ⓘ
religiousSociety Bwami ⓘ
socialOrganization Bwami initiation society ⓘ
socialStructure age grades ⓘ
traditionalEconomy fishing ⓘ
gathering ⓘ
hunting ⓘ
shifting cultivation ⓘ
usesObjectInRitual Lega figure ⓘ
Lega mask ⓘ
usesWritingSystem Latin script ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.