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Luba Memory Board, D.R. Congo

SKU: D955
Discounted price$550.00

Tax excluded. Shipping calculated at checkout

Pickup available at Hemingway African Gallery

Usually ready in 1 hour

African wooden story telling art with metallic accents on a stand against a white background

Luba Memory Board, D.R. Congo

Hemingway African Gallery

Pickup available, Usually ready in 1 hour

88 Leonard St.
New York NY 10013
United States

+12128383650
All Decorative Sculpture
All Decorative Art
Description of Significance for this Luba Lukasa Memory Board

Among the Luba people of the Democratic Republic of Congo, history has long been passed down through oral tradition, tracing ancestral lines, migrations, and the foundations of their culture. This responsibility belonged to members of the Mbudye society, a group entrusted with preserving and recalling the community’s past. Their knowledge served not only as a living record of heritage, but also as a reference in matters of lineage and leadership.

To help remember these complex histories, Mbudye members used carved wooden memory boards known as Lukasa. Typically rectangular in shape and sometimes topped with small sculpted heads symbolizing early ancestors, each board was marked with beads, raised patterns, or incised lines. These details acted as visual and tactile cues, guiding the storyteller through important events, journeys, and family histories — with variations in size and placement signaling their significance. Today, Luba memory boards stand as powerful decorative works of art, representing an ingenious system of storytelling and cultural preservation.

Country of Origin
  • Hand carved in Democratic Republic of Congo

Dimensions (inches)
  • Depth: 3"

  • Width: 7"

  • Height: 12"
  • Depth with Base: 6"
  • Height with Stand: 15"

Sustainable Materials & Display
  • Wood
  • Metal details
  • Beads
  • Displayed on a custom base
Shipping
  • Subsidized U.S. FedEx Ground shipping: $30

  • Smaller pieces are shipped via FedEx Ground in a secure box, with careful packaging to ensure safe delivery. To make fine art shipping more affordable, we subsidize part of the cost.

  • Each shipment includes a declared value, requiring a signature upon delivery for added security.

This is a decorative contemporary piece.

African wooden story telling art with metallic accents on a stand against a white background
Luba Memory Board, D.R. Congo Discounted price$550.00

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