TSHOKWE, Angola/Democratic Republic of Congo. Hardwood, dark reddish-brown patina, copper, beads, bamboo. A tobacco pipe, the prerogative of high-ranking men, with a bamboo mouthpiece and the end carved with the head of an ancestor with Ovimbundu influences. The pipe is decorated with coils of copper wire and carved with three seated figures, side by side, their arms crossed, symbolising the unity of a household or lineage. Length 45cm.