The Luba are one of the Bantu peoples of Central Africa. They are native to the Katanga and Kasai regions which are contained as a semi-autonomous regions of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they have lived for more than a thousand years. They speak the Tshiluba language. Most Luba art relates to kings and their subordinate chiefs, who defined their power by using carved prestige objects in their investure ceremonies. They number over one million people, and they subsist primarily on farming maize and millet. The Luba trace their history back to the 8th century, and they trace their kingdom back to Kalala Ilunga of the 16th century. Artists occupy a high place in Luba society, and some are thought to be knowledgable about magic. The round shape of this mask indicates its association with the moon, to which special rites were devoted. -Finley -Stepan/Hahner