250878 - Rare African Kwéré upper part of the funerary stele - Tanzania.

Rare African Kwéré upper part of the funerary stele - Tanzania.
Height: 48 cm.

This Kwere stele is dated from the mid of the 20th century and comes with a certificate of authenticity.

A remarkable Kwéré upper part of the funerary stele depicting a woman. The hairstyle, consisting of two upright combs, is of exceptional size. This sculpture exudes elegance and is one of the most important in the narrow corpus of Kwéré funerary sculpture. Heavy wood with a rain-like patina.

The Kwere or Kwele, also known as Ngh'wele (Wakwere in Swahili), are a matrilineal ethnic and linguistic group native to the Bagamoyo, Kisarawe, and Chalinze districts in the Pwani region of coastal Tanzania. The main spoken language is Ngh'wele, called Kikwere in Swahili. The most famous person of Kwere descent is the former president of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete.

In the 19th century, it was still traditional for Kwere women to wear their hair long and their breasts bare until marriage, making them instantly recognizable from other communities. Adult women and men in Kwere today wear traditional Swahili dress.

As farmers, the Kwere plant crops according to the season. During the short rainy seasons of October and November, they plant crops such as maize, cowpeas, sorghum, cassava, and pigeon peas. In December, they plant dry rice in the valley bottoms. The main planting takes place in February, when the rainy season begins. The main crops they grow are maize, sorghum, cowpeas, gram, sesame, and cotton. Instead of hoeing large fields, they typically plant in small holes. Harvests begin in May and last until September or October, during which time neighbors often work together and enjoy kiwi (beer).

They catch and dry fish from both rivers and the sea, grow coconuts and other tropical fruits, and raise small animals—but not livestock—alongside their crops. They make beer (upele) from sorghum and eat maize or sorghum porridge as a staple food. Like their neighbors, the Zaramo, the Kwere's dwellings are generally rectangular. It is unknown whether the Kwere still actively engage in woodcarving today, but historically they were renowned for their artistry and skill.

The centuries-long dominance of Swahili in coastal East Africa has resulted in most indigenous peoples in the region being at least bilingual, and the Ngh'were are no exception. This was confirmed in 2002 by Bagamoyo elders who attended a conference in the city to advocate for the city's nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2011, Bagamoyo was declared Tanzania's seventh World Heritage site. The impact of this award on the Ngh'were's presence in the city is not yet known, but tour operators are advertising worldwide.