1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910780695103321

Autore

Volavka Zdenka

Titolo

Crown and ritual : the royal insignia of Ngoyo / / Zdenka Volavka ; introduction and conclusions by Colleen E. Kriger ; edited by Wendy A. Thomas

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Toronto, [Ontario] ; ; Buffalo, [New York] ; ; London, [England] : , : University of Toronto Press, , 1998

©1998

ISBN

1-282-02582-1

9786612025822

1-4426-7364-8

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (452 p.)

Altri autori (Persone)

KrigerColleen E

Disciplina

967.51

Soggetti

Regalia (Insignia) - Ngoyo (Kingdom)

Electronic books.

Ngoyo (Kingdom)

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Foreword / Jan Vansina -- Editor's Note / Wendy A. Thomas -- 1. Introduction and History of the Investigation / Colleen E. Kriger -- 2. The Insignia -- 3. The Shrine -- 4. The Sacred -- 5. Copper -- 6. Conclusions / Colleen E. Kriger -- App. I. Catalogue and Comparative Analysis -- App. II. Documentation of the Identified Inventory of the Lusunsi Shrine -- App. III. Scientific Analyses -- App. IV. Historical Documents -- App. V. Historical Tables and Charts.

Sommario/riassunto

One day, more than twenty years ago, Zdenka Volavka found a lost treasure: the investiture regalia of the African kingdom of Ngoyo, dating from the Iron Age of the second millennium. The plaited copper crown or mpu, turned upside-down and filled with a jumble of metal objects, was on display in the MusTe de l'Homme in Paris, ignominiously labelled as a 'fishing basket.' These objects became the focus of Volavka's research in her remaining years, and form the subject of her book.Combining extensive field work with ethnographic, historical, scientific, and linguistic analysis, Volavka reconfigures the



nature of kingship and royal ritual in Ngoyo, uncovering the objects' true meaning and function, and reintegrating them into their original context. Detailed metallurgical analyses are included, along with a study of the role of copper in the lives of the peoples of the lower Za¦re basin.Volavka provides a sophisticated analysis of the social context of visual art and material culture and a special contribution to the history and ethnography of West Central Africa.