Boa (ethnicity)
The Boa (also Baboa , Babwa , Ababua , Bobua , Bobwa , Mangbua , Bobwale , Mbua , Aboboa , Abua , Boboa ) are an ethnic group from the Democratic Republic of the Congo , mainly from the Bas-Uele district . They make up the majority of the 900,000 (2007) population in this district. It is unusual that the Boa do not form clans , but are organized in a patrilineal manner . It used to be common to use slaves . Traditionally, most of the boa are farmers and herders, but a significant number are well educated and work in the cities.
In the 18th century, the boa migrated from an area west of the Congo River in an easterly direction to the Mbomou River . They were considered capable warriors and were able to successfully repel Azande's attempts at submission in the 19th century . From 1910 they were Christianized, which permanently disrupted their cultural cohesion. At the beginning of the 20th century there were unsuccessful uprisings against the Congo Free State .
The Boa are known for their as pongdudu designated masks even though these masks not occurred frequently. A common feature of the masks is the decoration with a black and white geometric pattern. Some masks have distinctive protruding ears with large openings, which represent the helix piercing of the eastern boa.
The short sword or dagger of the Boa is also known .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Marc L. Felix : 100 peoples of Zaire and their sculpture: the handbook , Zaire Basin Art History Research Foundation, 1987
- ^ Emizet Francois Kisangani, Scott F. Bobb: Historical Dictionary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Verlag Scarecrow Press, 2009, ISBN 9780810863255 , pp. 45 & 54 [1]
- ↑ James Stuart Olson: The Peoples of Africa: An Ethnohistorical Dictionary , Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996, ISBN 9780313279188 , p. 102 [2]
- ^ Jan Vansina : Kingdoms of the Savanna , 1966, cited in by Christopher D. Roy, University of Iowa : Democratic Republic of the Congo; Boa peoples archive link ( Memento of the original from May 18, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Hermann Burssens in Treasures from the Africa Museum, Tervuren , 1995, p. 390, quoted by the Royal Museum for Central Africa : Pongdudu face mask [3]
- ^ Hermann Burssens in Treasures from the Africa-Museum, Tervuren , 1995, p. 390, quoted by the Royal Museum for Central Africa : Pongdudu face mask [4]
- ↑ Christopher D. Roy , University of Iowa : Democratic Republic of the Congo; Boa peoples archive link ( Memento of the original from May 18, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
