Tlie wi'll-kcpt sjiacc cnciri-lcil liy :i Imnclrccl Imts is tin' "stiidimn" of Mangbetuland, over wiiicli 

 tower tlie groves of oil p;;lnis — an imposing setting for Okondo's great residence. Here, at the king's 

 bidding, the quiet of peace gives way to tlie turmoil of barter, to shrewd appeals of crafty justice, 

 to riotous gatherings of pleasure, or to turbulent waves of war. Those who are welcome are invited 

 to pass the forbidden gates to the king's harem; but woe to tliose who are subject to the cruel dict\im 

 of his tribunal 



Famous Ivory Treasures of a Negro King 



By HERBERT LAN G 



The ethnographical collection, a small part of the 54 tons of natural history material 

 brought home by the Congo Expedition (1909-1915), comprises about 3800 examples repre- 

 sentative of the culture of the Mangbetu and neighboring tribes. More than 1000 photo- 

 graphs, including a series of portraits and illustrations of habits and customs, plans of vil- 

 lages and houses, together with water color studies of mural painting, and more than 100 life 

 masks, form a splendid contribution to the better knowledge of these little-known peoples. 

 The jewels "of the collection are 380 pieces of carved ivory, beautiful in design and remark- 

 able in execution, all denoting a keen sense for well-balanced composition. These ivories are 

 now on exhibition in the Morgan hall of the American Museum of Natural History, and 

 although made by untutored savages they harmonize surprisingly well with displays of art 

 treasures exhibited near them which have come from many lands. This collection is par- 

 ticularly valuable inasmuch as it cannot be duplicated, for Okondo, king of the Mangbetu, 

 died in 1916, three years after we left him, and for administrative reasons his realm was 

 divided among many smaller chiefs who more easily can be made to abide by the golden 

 rule of civilization. These chiefs, being virtually without authority, possess comparatively 

 few show pieces; nor can they offer inducements to artists in this line, as ivory is now 

 scarce. 



These Mangbetu ivories astonish even modern artists of civilization. The unusual amount 

 of care the savages have bestowed upon their work is as surprising as the range and adap- 

 tability of the conventionalized subjects chosen. Man occurs as often as purely geometric 

 compositions, but cviriously enough, animal fonns are seldom admitted. The carved form 

 of the human head in miniature as a tenniuating figure for an ivory piece is especially com- 

 mon, sometimes in natural proportions but more often lengthened or flattened either to an 

 extreme extent or cleverly suggested by only a few sharp lines. 



Those who enjoy the beauty of the Mangbetu ivories are indebted in a large measure to the 

 president of the American Museum of Natural History, Professor Henry Fairfield Osborn, 

 who Ijy his liVieral [dans and generous encouragement made possible the gathering of so unique 

 a collection, although the chief errand of the expedition was zoological. — The Author. 



THE first decorative use of ivory 

 dates back to the cave men of 

 the Old Stone age. Their ar- 

 tistic inclination 'was forceful enough 

 to guide the historian's sharp-pointed 



flints over the smooth surface of tusks. 

 About eighteen thousand years ago 

 primitive artists of France thus re- 

 corded stories of animals they hunted 

 and dangers they escaped. One of the 



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