The Lega people are amongst Africa’s best- known carvers and artists. Currently settled in the Kivu province of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, they believe themselves to be descended from an eponymous ancestor who migrated into the area from what is now Uganda. They are also known as Warega and Balega, based on corruptions of their actual name by neighbouring groups and Arab traders, respectively. They live in small villages and consider themselves parts of distinct lineages, although to outsiders the “Lega” group is a well- defined unit. They are further defined on the basis of their modes of subsistence. The western Lega settled in the forest (malinga), where they rely on hunting and gathering, while the eastern groups live on poor soils, further denuded by their mode of slash-and-burn agriculture.

This small pendant has been carved out of ivory in the form of a human head. A hole has been drilled where the columnar neck terminates, allowing this pendant to be strung upon a necklace. Stylistically, the face is characteristic of the Lega style, including eyes represented by two concentric circles, a motif repeated along the sides of the neck. Worn, such a pendant may have served as decoration distinguishing the wearer as someone of wealth and taste. Alternately, it may have had a religious or ceremonial function.