Fig. 1. Woven mat (losa), made from reed or bark, from the Mbola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, late 20th century (TRC 2025.1290).Over the last year or so, Marjolijn van Scherpenzeel (Hartendief, Leiden), has given us a large quantity of textiles, mainly from Central Africa, Thailand and Laos, as well as various religious garments and embroideries from Western Europe.

Marjolijn has just given us some more pieces that we are gradually sorting out. Among the donation are some woven panels of a type I have never seen before. They are about 50 x 35 cm in size and are made from reed or strips of bark, stained black, white, red and yellow.

The pieces are now in the TRC Collection (TRC 2025.1284 to TRC 2025.1325) and are decorated with a variety of woven, geometric patterns. The mats or losa are made by Mbole women who live in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly known as Zaire). They belong to the Mongo people and live in the equatorial forests in northeastern Congo.

Fig. 2. Woven mat (losa), made from reed or bark, from the Mbola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, late 20th ntury (TRC 2025.1321).These mats are not woven on a loom, but rather in the hand in a similar manner to a basket, with weft threads that are individually threaded using a twill weave (including 3/1 and 4/1 twill forms) into the required pattern.

The geometric patterns are apparently based on kengo or body tattoo patterns, known in general as itoko and come with a variety of names, such as bilik (bricks; Fig. 1. TRC 2025.1290), eleko (feather; Fig. 2. TRC 2025.1321), kitiwala (bed, TRC 2025.1294) and koi (leopard or leaping power of the leopard; TRC 2025.1324 and TRC 2025.1325).

We are planning a small exhibition about these pieces that will take place once we have moved into the new TRC home later this year!

Gillian Vogelsang, 7 September 2025

Sources

• Bral, Jan (Ed.) (1984), Mongo Cultuur, Gemeentekrediet, Sint-Niklaas.
• Mabiala Mantuba-Ngoma, Mabiala (1989). Losa, Flechtwerke der Mbole, Verlag Fred Jahn,, München).

• Gerdes, Paulus, Twill plaited mats from the Mbole - Mongo in Northeastern Congo.