Bwende people

[3] They speak Bwende, a Bantu language related to Kikongo and were a part of the Kongo Kingdom.

However, the Bwende statuettes have some specific characteristics, such as broad shoulders, numerous body scarifications and a hairstyle that is sometimes asymmetrical.

The Bwende are famous for their large fabric funerary mannequins (niombo), in reality desiccated corpses swaddled in many layers of cloth.

However, in the Museum of World Culture in Gothenburg there is an impressive niombo, famous for its height, scope and reddish color.

This was on display at the Eternal Ancestors: The Art of the Central African Reliquary exhibition held at the Metropolitan Museum.

Map showing the area where the Bwende lives.
Map showing the area where the Bwende lives.
Niombo
The niombo at the Museum of World Culture. This niombo was created by the Bwende artist Makoza from Kingoyi.