Payment method made of woven raffia, BABUNDA tribe, DR Congo, 1st half of the 20th century

This striking currency from the BABUNDA tribe is quite rare. The Babunda live in the Idiofa region in the DR Congo. It is made of very fine hand-woven raffia that is rolled up, decorated on one edge with finely knotted raffia and braided at the ends. This piece is so finely woven that it presumably served as a bridal gift. More often they are a bit coarser in structure. This is a separate copy. I also have another bundle of 6 strands joined together that I will be adding soon. As a means of payment, they lost their value if they got very dirty. The age of this piece is evident, also because it came to Belgium before the middle of the last century. Good condition! A special piece!

Length: 95 cm
Weight: 144 grams
Origin: DR Congo
Date: 1st half of the 20th century
Provenance: ex Flemish private collection, obtained in the 1970s from an estate auction in Anderlecht