TUTUKIPFULA (GUNPOWDER BOTTLE WITH ATTACHED LID)
[1-4]: TUTUKIPFULA (GUNPOWDER BOTTLE WITH ATTACHED LID)
[5]: A different yet similar tutukipfula from the Luba people, showing how the attached lid remains connected to the main vessel through the rope design. This vessel has an added sphere to the top making the lid easier to open
[6]: Postcard of Kongo hunters in the Batéké region with their rifles and gunpowder bottles on their waists
[7]: Carved scarification motifs on the surface of the vessel
[8]: Mabina body scarification.From: Bakongo culture, Kongo kingdom. Congo-Brazzaville 🇨🇬Source [1-4,7]: African Arts Gallery (www.african-arts-gallery.com/african-art/African-Jar/Kongo-Box/28058)
Source [5]: @dumouchelles
Source [6,8]: “Chasse et poires à poudre tutukipfula du Mayumbe – Bas-Congo” by Bouhbou on sanzabl01a.wordpress.com
Source notes [1-4,7]: 🇨🇬 Congo-Brazzaville “Small pear-shaped container with a cap, intended to contain powder for wooden rifles. This black powder was imported from Europe, making it a luxurious commodity carefully preserved. This powder, to which magical virtues were also attributed, often complemented the ingredients of ritual fetishes. Decorative motifs are engraved on the sides of the object. Matte brown patina 11cm H, 6cm W, 0.04 kg.”
Source notes [6]: 🇨🇩 DRC “Given the importance of hunting, it is therefore not surprising that the accessories of this occupation that is hunting are taken care of, and more specifically the powder flasks (tutukipfula). These wooden containers of spherical shape are carved with geometric, cubist decorations, characteristic of this region of Bas-Congo and which are found in the body scarifications “mabina””
Source notes [8]: 🇨🇩 DRC “The “mabina” body scarifications of the Yombe women were among the most learned and beautiful in all of Africa; they were performed on the bodies of little girls around the age of ten.” (Brother J. Cornet, 1989).”Observations: unity of form/considering the profile of an object, continuation of a strong design language, functional ornament, ergonomics, visual harmony, user experience/usage-driven design (attached lid because of the preciousness of the vessels contents).