Antique Congo Kuba Tribe Hand Carved Wooden Figural Smoking Pipe. The Kuba, also called Bakuba, are a union of more than twenty ethnic groups Bantu-speaking in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa), living between the Kasai and Sankuru rivers east of their confluence. They are well known for their sculptures, like this one. A small paper label on the bottom with information about the piece. 

Size: 4 1/2 x 3 x 6 1/4 in. 

The smoking pipe appeared independently around the world in a variety of cultures in ancient times, and unlike a cigarette or shorter tobacco holding device a pipe is usually preferred by those who wish to taste the smoke of a burning substance, rather than simply experience the rush of nicotine or other chemical released by the burning process. This led to a wide range of variants, such as the opium pipe, designed for the evaporation and inhalation of opium. A tobacco pipe, often called simply a pipe, is a device specifically made to smoke tobacco. It comprises a chamber (the bowl) for the tobacco from which a thin hollow stem (shank) emerges, ending in a mouthpiece. Pipes can range from very simple machine-made briar models to highly prized hand-made artisanal implements made by renowned pipemakers, which are often very expensive collector’s items.