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OTHER NAMES: Songe,
Basonge, Basongo, Yembe. Bayembe, (original
 name).
LOCATION: lat 4°-7° S, long 23°-27°
E.
TERRAIN: Region of low plateaus, hills, wooded savannas cut
by forested galleries. Vast grass plains. Altitude 500-1,200
m.
RIVERS: Sankuru, Lubi, Lubilash, Lufebu, Lubengule,
Lomami.
CLUSTER: Songye. M: 37, Mongo and Luba, 16 Songye.
POPULATION: (As of 1959) 100,000 Songye; 25,000-40,000 in
subgroups. PRINCIPAL TOWNS: Pania-Mutombo, Kabinda,
Lubao-Senteri.
LANGUAGES: Kisongye. Guthrie (1971), L23 Songye. Lingua
franca: Ciluba, Kiswahili.
RELEVANT PEOPLES: Luba, Luba Kasai, Tetela, Sungu, Mputu,
Luntu, Binji, Kaniok, Kusu.
Sociopolitical
organization:
The Songyeare divided into about 35 groups and subgroups,
most of them of Kalebwe origin. The dissident Kalebwe from
the southwest were the conquerors, but the Tshofa Kalebwe
from the north formed the aristocratic core, in the
traditionof the civilizing hunter-blacksmith. This core was
organized around a supreme chief, the Yakilenge, who,
with his advisors, the Twite, constituted the central
power. The land and forest chief Sultani ya Muti
supervised the distribution of land to families. The large
chiefdoms made up real cities spread over miles, with
markets, artisans, and traders. The largest ones were
Kabinda and Pania Mutombo. Songye are mainly patriarchal and
patrilinear, exogamous and polygamous.
History:
Songye and Luba have same roots traditionally and
linguistically, having a common mythical Songye ancestor:
Kongolo. Some say they came from lakes in Shaba, others from
the northeast via S. Maniema. Successive inmigrations.
Continuous intertribal wars. Conflicts with Tetela. The
Lomami-Luba invasions led to the development of different
social structures among the eastern and western Songye. The
line between them was the Lomami River, which also marked
the farthest limits of the interchange between the Songye
and the Luba in the eastern area. End of the 19th c. a group
of Songye, the Eki, were forced to leave their territory,
pressed on by Arab slavers and their local allies from the
West.
Economy:
Family fanning produced
manioc, maize, and millet. Domestic animals, goats and
chickens were raised. Big hunt reserved for chiefs. Little
fishing takes place because water is sometimes sacred since
big chiefs were buried in rivers. Smithing (axes) and
weaving (madiba) reserved to men, pottery to women.
In past Songye traded these goods extensively, as well as
poisons for arrows. With the Luba they traded charms for
salt and zebra skins.
Religion:
A creator: Efile.
Ancestor cults. Sacrifices to souls of ancestors and to the
spirits who can reside in certain natural elements such as
trees. The esoteric Bukishi gave rise to initiation
systems that had a role in social regulation. Bwadi Ka
bifwebe masking society was pan of bukishi, but
is now decadent. Still functions in southeastern area marked
by Luba influence. Masende is most malevolent among
other secret societies.
Sculpture:
Free circulation of many objects within Songyeland, great variety of
statues, but most of them in Kalebwe style (1), itself subdivided in
two or three stylistic sections. Three other styles can be defined:
Kibeshi, (2) Belande, and Tempa. Many objects reflect regional stylistic
interchanges or outside influences:  Luba,
Tetela, Binji, Kaniok. Masks kifwebe (3,4) relatively numerous
in  southeast
where the white female type (5) is found (Luba influence). The masking
society Bwadi ka bifwebe also possesses various objects adorned
with masks, miniature maskettes (6), shields (7), knives (8), etc. in
the south and southeast. Kalengula masks, panels (9), or fibers
on armature (10), in the south and west. Also to be noted are the strange
masked, usually assexual figures from the southern Lubaised regions
(11). Predominance of male figures (patrilineage) and androgynous ;
few  female
representations (except in Luba-related areas with matrilineage) as
well as scarified figures or couples. In south divinatory objects (13,
14, 15) and calabashes (12). In west axes in wrought iron (16), bellows
(17), weaving shuttles (18), sandals (19) showing Arab influence, a
few stools and neckrests (20) in south (Luba-Songye). From Luba borderland
we have statues with turned heads (23), also a few anthropomorphic cups
(21); in Lubaized regions some ivory pieces such as homs and amulets
can be found (24, 25).
Art style:
 Expressionistic.
Head generally large -in proportion to body whose
execution is usually scantier, covered with skins, addenda, and magical
ingredients; homed statues. Old masks carefully striated, with large
(male) and small (female) crests, polychromy; white, dark purple, red-brown,
black, occasionally blue.
Bibliography:
Hersak, D. Songye masks and figure sculpture, London
1986;
Kabamba Nkamany a Baleme, Art et Culture Songye, Kinshasa
1983;
Merriam, A. "Kifwebe and other masked and unmasked societies
among the Basongye," A-T 24, Tervuren 1978;
Mestach, J.W. Etudes Songye, Formes et symbolique, Munich
1985;
Van Overbergh, C. Les Basonge, Brussels 1907.
Marc Leo
Felix
100 People of Zaïre and their Sculpture, The Hanbook,
Zaïre Basin Art History Research Foundation, Brussels,
1987.
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