Chief's Drinking Cup

The Yaka and Suku peoples are distinct ethnic groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo. However, in some aspects of their artistic output the lines between their styles blur and intermix so much that it is nearly impossible to tell the difference between a Yaka or Suku object.

Though not the case with their masking, this intermingling of styles certainly holds true in the symbols of rank of many of their chiefs with regards to headgear, jewelry and in this case, the cups that they drink palm wine from as a symbol of their prestige. The classical Yaka or Suku prestige cup is also called a ‘pinched cup’ in that the sides bend inward to almost touch one another. Such cups are said to be styled after a calabash form, and the delicate carving of the inward pinching walls is considered a sign of a virtuoso carver.

The cups are further decorated with geometric motifs on each side or occasionally with a face. This example is extremely notable in that beside the usual pinched form and face motifs, the cup has a small handle that extends out form one side and bears a small face on the end. Only a handful of other similar examples are known.

Such a cup would have been a visible and immediate sign of distinction to anyone seeing the chief drinking from it.