The Pende are an ethnic group

Ethnic group

An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...

 found in the south-western Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...

, and especially in the Kwilu District

Kwilu District

Kwilu District is a district located in the Bandundu province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo....

. Their population is estimated to be around 250.000.

The Pende language is one of the Bantu languages

Bantu languages

The Bantu languages constitute a traditional sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages. There are about 250 Bantu languages by the criterion of mutual intelligibility, though the distinction between language and dialect is often unclear, and Ethnologue counts 535 languages...

. Pende are culturally close to the Yaka and Suku people that live in neighboring areas.

History

Much like the Yake and Suku, Pende are originally from the strip between the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 and the Cuanza River

Cuanza River

The Cuanza River is a river in Angola. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean just south of the nation's capital, Luanda....

, in Angola

Angola

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...

. They relocated to Congo in the beginning of the 17th century, as a consequence of the Lunda's expansion. Around 1885 they were menaced again by the expansion of the Chokwe

Chokwe

The Chokwe also pronounced Tchokwe are an ethnic group of Central Africa whose ancestry can perhaps be traced to Mbundu and Mbuti Pygmies. Large groups of Chokwe currently reside in Angola, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their language is usually referred to as Chokwe, a Bantu...

 people.

Culture

The Pende are known for their xylophone

Xylophone

The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...

-based music, and their dances. Dancers traditionally wear colorful masks and Munganji costumes made of raffia, as well as hairdresses that resemble the shapes of Pende huts. Traditional dance ceremonies are often held in Kikwit

Kikwit

Kikwit is the largest city of Kwilu District, lying on the Kwilu River in the southwestern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kikwit is also known in the region under the nickname "The Mother". The population is approximately 294,210...

, the largest city of the Kwilu province. Pende sculptors are also well known for their ability to give a fluid surface to their ivory

Ivory

Ivory is a term for dentine, which constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals, when used as a material for art or manufacturing. Ivory has been important since ancient times for making a range of items, from ivory carvings to false teeth, fans, dominoes, joint tubes, piano keys and...

pendants (badges) portraying human faces.