An ancient and very rare ivory whistle adorned with a high-relief carving of a figure apparently holding a knife, which may link this whistle to the art of hunting. In Kongo culture, whistles were part of the sound register of power and ritual communication. Often worn by chiefs or diviners (nganga), they were used to summon spirits, signal the presence of an authority or mark a moment of passage. The breath emitted was considered to carry moyo, the vital force that linked the visible world to that of the ancestors. Kongo, Democratic Republic of Congo Ivory, slight old cracks, beautiful old patina from use and ritual. H. 8 cm Provenance : Pierre Dartevelle, Brussels Marc Blanpain Collection, Brussels