page_title: Songye people
section_title: Secret Society: Bwadi bra Kifwebe
hierarchical_section_title: Songye people / Secret Society: Bwadi bra Kifwebe
caption_attribution_description: Helmet mask (kifwebe) and costume from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Songye or Luba peoples); late 19th to early 20th century; 34.6 x 22.3 x 19.1 cm; Wood, paint, fiber, cane, and gut Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas; The Gustave and Franyo Schindler Collection of African Sculpture, gift of the McDermott Foundation in honor of Eugene McDermott; object number 1974.SC.42
context_page_description: The Songye people, sometimes written Songe, are a Bantu ethnic group from the central Democratic Republic of the Congo. They inhabit a vast territory between the Sankuru and Lubilash rivers west and the Lualaba River in the east, a vast group of villages can be found in present-day East Kasai province, parts of Katanga and Kivu Province. The people of Songye are divided into thirty-four conglomerate societies, each society is led by a single chief with Judiciary Council of elders and nobles. Smaller kingdoms east of the Lomami River refer to themselves as Songye, other kingdoms in the west, refer to themselves as Kalebwe, Eki, Ilande, Bala, Chofwe, Sanga and Tempa. As a society, the people of Songye are mainly known as a farming community, they do, however, take part in hunting and trading with other neighboring communities.
context_section_description: Bwadi bra Kifwebe is a secret society of mask men. In the community, these men were known for their use of magic (Buki or Buchi) and sorcery (Masende). Buki and Masende magic differs from witchcraft, these types of magic are inherited and or obtained either by will or unconsciously. Witchcraft, in contrast, can be obtained through initiation and at the appropriate use of magical ingredients. In order to become a member of the Bwadi bra Kifwebe, all applicants must under an initiation process.  During this process, initiates must learn and identify a secret esoteric language. They must undergo a radical and violent experience in order to  become less fearful of the unknown and learn their roles within the subject to Bwadi bra Kifwebe. Some of the responsible of the Bwadi bra Kifwebe are regulating and maintaining political order and balance between the chief and his communities. The Bwadi bra Kifwebe maintain balance within the community by conducting masquerades, rituals and rites such as initiation rituals, circumcisions and funerals.
caption: This is an example of how the top of a typical masquerader would look.
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