Yombe people (Congo and Angola)

Distribution

In 1981, there was an estimated number of 15,000 Yombe people, living in an area of 625 sqmi. Another group, also referred to as the Yombe people, live in the south-western part of the Republic of the Congo, with others living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola.

Economic practices

The Yombe are primarily involved in agricultural production, growing crops such as plantains, maize, beans, manioc, peanuts, and yams. Though they grow primarily for food supply, they also sell their crops at the market. Goats, pigs and chickens are raised and fishing is practiced on the Congo River.

Cultural and religious practices

The artistry of Yombe figurines and statues is well known, usually objects of prestige, kings seated on the throne, or female phemba (maternity) statues. Nkisi nkonde figurines, masks and drums are also made for ceremonies. Their funerary figures are renowned for their realistic depictions.

The supreme deity of the Yombe is Ngoma Bunzi, who hails from an unreachable realm called Yulu. He is contacted via Nzambi a Tsi (earth spirits) and Simbi (river spirits). The Yombe people build shrines as memorials to prominent ancestors, such as village chiefs who has special powers. The Yombe people of northern Zambia believe that people have three different identities: biological, social, and spiritual. Their social standing affects the type of funeral which might be given.

References

References

1. "Database for Indigenous Cultural Evolution (DICE):Yombe Factsheet". University of Missouri.
2. (1999). "Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience". Basic Books.
3. "Tribal African Art: Yombe". Zyama.com.
4. Vogel, Susan Mullin. (1981). "For Spirits and Kings: African Art from the Paul and Ruth Tishman Collection". Metropolitan Museum of Art.
5. "Yombe". Art & Life in Africa.
6. (28 July 1999). "Integrating Spirituality into Multicultural Counseling". SAGE Publications.