Extensive regalia worn by titled Kuba elders, Bungamba village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

The photograph depicts high-ranking Kuba elder wearing traditional costume, as well as symbolic adornements, for the state visit of the Nyim Kot a Mbweeky III. "The emphasis on titleholding and the competition for and the subsequent prestige that accrues to titleholders is a dominant aspect of Kuba culture (Vansina, 1978; Binkley, 1987). Kuba hats are important visual manifestations of Kuba ideas about ethnicity and leadership. Each titled position has emblems, symbols, and praise names associated with it." [Darish P., Binkley D., 1995: Headdresses and Titleholding Among the Kuba, Crowning Achievements, UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History]. During his trip to Congo (now Democratic Republic of Congo), Elisofon visited the village of Bungamba (Bongamba, Bongaam) between Mweka and Luebo, in the Kuba region. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon traveled to Africa from March 17, 1970 to July 17, 1970.