5 Les/Wood, Vol. 71, No. 2, December 2022
Vol. 71, No. 2, 5-24
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26614/les-wood.2022.v71n02a04
WOOD IDENTIFICATION IN OBJECTS OF THE BAMBUTI PEOPLE FROM THE 
CONGO IN THE COLLECTION OF THE SLOVENE ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM
IDENTIFIKACIJA LESA PREDMETOV LJUDSTVA BAMBUTI IZ KONGA V ZBIRKI 
SLOVENSKEGA ETNOGRAFSKEGA MUZEJA
Katarina Čufar
1
, Hans Beeckman
2
, Marko Frelih
3
, Luka Krže
1
, Wannes Hubau
2,4
, 
Maks Merela
1*
UDK članka: UDK 630*811:630*176.1 Received / Prispelo: 15.11.2022 
Original scientific article / Izvirni znanstveni članek Accepted / Sprejeto: 1.12.2022
 . Abstract / Izvleč ek  
Abstract: The African collection of the Slovene Ethnographic Museum (SEM) in Ljubljana, Slovenia, holds objects of 
everyday life from the Bambuti people from the Ituri forest, in the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of 
the Congo. The items were collected by the anthropologist Paul Joachim Schebesta, possibly during his expeditions 
around 1930. The objects containing wood were selected for wood identification by using microscopic wood 
identification, with the help of the InsideWood database and reference samples from the xylarium of the Royal 
Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium. The investigated musical instrument, a wooden zither, was made 
of wood of Musanga cecropioides, the handle of the shield of Alstonia sp., the dagger and sheath of Autranella 
congolensis or another high density species of Sapotaceae, and the crossbow of Nauclea diderichii (bow) and Xylopia 
sp. (stock). Wood identification helped us to gain additional information on the origin, knowledge of wood, and time 
of the collection of objects in the Congo.
Keywords: museum objects, wood identification, Musanga cecropioides, Alstonia, Autranella congolensis, Nauclea 
diderichii, Xylopia, Africa
Izvleček: Afriška zbirka Slovenskega etnografskega muzeja (SEM) v Ljubljani hrani predmete iz vsakdanjega življenja 
ljudstva Bambuti iz gozda Ituri, na severovzhodu Demokratične republike Kongo. Predmete je zbral antropolog Paul 
Joachim Schebesta med svojimi odpravami verjetno okoli leta 1930. Predmeti, ki so vsebovali adultni les, so bili 
izbrani za raziskavo in mikroskopsko identifikacijo lesa s podporo platforme InsideWood ter referenčne zbirke lesa 
Kraljevega muzeja za Srednjo Afriko v Tervurnu v Belgiji. Raziskano glasbilo (lesene citre) je bilo izdelano iz lesa vrste 
Musanga cecropioides, ročaj ščita iz vrste Alstonia sp., nožnica in bodalo iz Autranella congolensis ali sorodne vrste z 
visoko gostoto iz družine Sapotaceae, samostrel pa iz Nauclea diderichii (lok) in Xylopia sp. (ročaj). Identifikacija lesa 
je ponudila dodatne informacije o izvoru, poznavanju lesa in času zbiranja predmetov v Kongu.
Ključne besede: muzejski predmeti, identifikacija lesa, Musanga cecropioides, Alstonia, Autranella congolensis, 
Nauclea diderichii, Xylopia, Afrika
 
1 INTRODUCTION
1 UVOD
The Slovene Ethnographic Museum (SEM) in 
Ljubljana holds an African collection with objects 
collected by the anthropologist Paul Joachim Sche-
besta. They were possibly collected during his ex-
peditions in 1929 and 1930 when he visited the 
Ituri rainforest on the Congo River and lived among 
the central African Pygmy people and explored 
their culture (Frelih et al., 2017).
 
1
 University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Wood Science and Technology, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1000 Ljubljana, 
Slovenia
2
 Royal Museum for Central Africa, Laboratory for Wood Biology, Leuvensesteenweg 13, B-3080 Tervuren, Belgium
3
 Slovene Ethnographic Museum, Metelkova ulica 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
4
 Ghent University, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
* e-mail: maks.merela@bf.uni-lj.si

6 Les/Wood, Vol. 71, No. 2, December 2022
Čufar, K., Beeckman, H., Frelih, M., Krže, L., Hubau, W., & Merela, M.: Identifikacija lesa predmetov ljudstva Bambuti
iz Konga v zbirki slovenskega etnografskega muzeja
 
Paul Joachim Schebesta (Šebesta) was born 
in 1887 in Groß Peterwitz, Upper Silesia, at that 
time in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During his 
studies in Mödling, near Vienna, he was dedicated 
to philosophy, theology, linguistics and ethnogra-
phy. Under the influence of his professor, Wilhelm 
Schmidt, he developed a passion for studying the 
origin of religions which was later the main reason 
for his expeditions and extensive field research in 
Africa and Asia (Gütl, 2010). For this purpose, he 
searched for peoples who lived in remote, hard to 
reach areas and who were not yet affected by ex-
ternal influences from other cultures.
Schebesta undertook several research expedi-
tions in the Congo (Figure 1). He was most attract-
ed by the Bambuti (Mbuti) people in the rainforest 
on the Ituri catchment. In his first two expeditions 
in 1929 and 1930, he visited the Ituri rainforest, 
where the Pygmies had moved under pressure 
from other tribes (Schebesta, 1932). He was con-
sidered to be the first European who managed to 
live among the shy rainforest people for a signifi-
cant period of time, and learned about their way of 
living, customs and traditions, which in some ways 
would be considered prehistoric in Europe (Frelih 
et al., 2017). The culture, which in the first half of 
20
th
 century was already in danger of becoming ex-
tinct, was important for exploration of the cultural 
history of mankind due to its ancientness.
The Pygmies from the Ituri rainforest in the 
Congo Basin seemed to have had a simple mate-
rial culture, but they had impressive knowledge of 
flora, fauna and survival in the rainforest habitat. 
During his expeditions, Schebesta systematical-
ly documented and published what he observed 
(e.g., Schebesta, 1957). He also collected photo-
graphs, many of which are publicly available at the 
Bildarchiv Austria (2022) (Figure 1). He also system-
atically collected a selection of objects related to 
life of the investigated cultures, and presented his 
research through numerous lectures to the scientif-
ic community, students, and general public all over 
Europe (Frelih et al., 2017).
Schebesta’s private collection, acquired dur-
ing his fieldwork in the Congo, contained several 
thousands of objects, which he brought home to 
Mödling near Vienna. He later gradually gave or 
sold objects to museums in Brussels, Prague, and 
Vienna. However, it is less well known that a part of 
Schebesta’s African collection is also kept in the Slo-
vene Ethnographic Museum. Most likely it arrived 
there in October 1933, when Schebesta held a 
number of lectures in Ljubljana and other locations 
in Slovenia. He most likely donated the collection to 
Figure 1. Photos from the archive of Paul Joachim Schebesta in the Bildarchiv Austria (2022): (a) Bambuti 
Pygmies in the village of Kero, with Schebesta surrounded by men (#10818394); (b) Bandaka Pygmies, 
specifically the headmen with his daughter, with the shield resembling the one investigated in this study 
(#12348274); (c) Nkundo Pygmies, with two men and weapons, including daggers like the ones in this 
study (#12452720)
Slika 1. Fotografije iz arhiva Paula Joachima Schebeste, ki ji hrani Bildarchiv Austria (2022): (a) Bambutiji 
v vasi Kero–Schebesta obkrožen z moškimi (#10818394), (b) ljudstvo Bandaka–poglavar s hčerjo–ščit je 
podoben tistemu, ki je bil raziskan v tej študiji (#12348274), (c) ljudstvo Nkundo–dva moška z orožjem, 
vključno z bodalom, podobnim bodalu v tej študiji (#12452720).

7 Les/Wood, Vol. 71, No. 2, December 2022
Čufar, K., Beeckman, H., Frelih, M., Krže, L., Hubau, W., & Merela, M.: Wood identification in objects of Bambuti
people from the Congo in the collection of the Slovene ethnographic museum
 
Professor Lambert Ehrlich, who lived and worked in 
Ljubljana. The existing sources also do not reveal 
when Ehrlich transferred the collection to the Slo-
vene Ethnographic Museum, since two dates are 
mentioned – 1940 and 1941 – and whether he sold 
or donated the collection (Frelih et al., 2017). Due 
to these facts, it is extremely likely that the collec-
tion originates from the two expeditions Schebesta 
made to the Congo in 1929 and 1930.
Schebesta’s collection at the Slovene Ethno-
graphic Museum consists of 96 objects. Although it 
is not large, it contains a diversity of systematically 
collected objects, providing a basic presentation of 
the principal activities in the everyday life and ma-
terial culture of different Bambuti groups native to 
the Ituri rainforest, Congo. The collection was not 
extensively researched or published until 2017, i.e. 
130 years after Schebesta’s birth and 50 years after 
his death, when the Slovene Ethnographic Muse-
um and the Slovene Museum of Christianity pre-
pared an exhibition and publication entitled Baba 
wa Bambuti, the name Schebesta was given by the 
natives on the Ituri River (Frelih et al., 2017). In ad-
dition to objects from Schebesta’s collection, an ex-
ample of a wooden crossbow from the second half 
of the 19
th
 century is also included in this research. 
The crossbow is from the Congo, and nothing is 
known about the collector.
The objects examined in this collection are 
mainly made of plant and animal material, and only 
few seem to be made of wood, which has not been 
investigated so far. In this study we thus focused on 
a few selected objects to perform wood research 
and identification. Our aim was to find out if such 
research can help answer various questions related 
to origin and history of the objects, and to explore 
how such information can help the museum cura-
tors.
Figure 2. Some of the ob-
jects from the collection 
of Pavel Schebesta in the 
Slovene Ethnographic 
Museum (SEM) in Lju-
bljana (from Frelih et al., 
2017).
Slika 2. Nekaj predmetov 
iz zbirke Pavla Schebeste, 
Slovenskega etnografske-
ga muzeja (SEM) v Ljublja-
ni (iz Frelih et al., 2017).

8 Les/Wood, Vol. 71, No. 2, December 2022
Čufar, K., Beeckman, H., Frelih, M., Krže, L., Hubau, W., & Merela, M.: Identifikacija lesa predmetov ljudstva Bambuti
iz Konga v zbirki slovenskega etnografskega muzeja
 
2 MATERIALS AND METHODS
2 MATERIAL IN METODE
2.1 SELECTION OF MUSEUM OBJECTS
2.1 IZBOR MUZEJSKIH OBJEKTOV
In the depository of the Slovene Ethnographic 
Museum (SEM) in Ljubljana we inspected a list of 
objects from Schebesta’s collection and selected 
ones that were presumably made of adult wood. 
The selected objects were a musical instrument 
(wooden zither), a shield, a dagger with sheath, 
and a crossbow consisting of bow and stock (Fig-
ure 2, Table 1). Each of the objects was carefully in-
spected by the museum curator, conserver-restorer 
and wood specialist in order to define the optimal 
location for sampling for wood identification.
For sampling we developed a minimally de-
structive method which allowed us to take small 
samples of wood to prepare thin microscopic slides 
(Koren, 2017). The wood samples were taken under 
the supervision of a museum curator and conserver 
on the least exposed and if possible hidden parts 
of the objects. For this purpose we used a special 
small drilling tool, an oscillating saw, and a surgical 
knife (Figure 3). The locations for wood sampling 
were carefully selected for each of the items, de-
pending on its form and size. The samples con-
tained enough wood tissue to produce cross-, ra-
dial- and tangential sections for microscopic wood 
identification.
2.2 SAMPLE PREPARATION
2.2 PRIPRAVA VZORCEV
After sampling, the wood was softened in a 
mixture of distilled water, glycerol and ethanol (in a 
ratio of 1:1:1) for about one week. Afterwards, the 
samples were observed under a magnifying glass 
and oriented to define the anatomical planes for 
cutting cross-, radial- and tangential sections with 
the help of a Leica SM2000R sliding microtome 
equipped with steel knives. The thickness of the 
sections was 10-20 μm. In one case the sample was 
taken with a surgical knife (Figure 3) and was em-
bedded in paraffin; in this case 9 µm thick sections 
were cut with a Leica RM 2245 rotary microtome. 
Finally, the sections were stained with a water mix-
ture of safranin and astra blue (i.e., 40 mg safranin 
and 150 mg astra blue in 100 ml demineralized wa-
ter and 2 ml acetic acid) for at least 20 min, then 
washed, gradually dehydrated in ethanol (50, 70 
and 100%) and finally mounted in Euparal accord-
ing to the standard procedure (e.g., Prislan et al., 
2022).
In this way, we produced one permanent slide 
for each of the objects or their parts, if they were 
made of more than one wood species.
Table 1. The investigated objects and their description from the catalogue (Frelih et al., 2017).
Preglednica 1. Preučevani objekti in njihov opis iz kataloga (Frelih et al., 2017).
Museum code
Muzejska koda
Name
Ime
Description
Opis
EM 2953 Wooden zither
Musical instrument – a wooden zither with twelve plant-fibre strings (originally 15 
strings).
Lesene citre
Glasbeni instrument – lesene citre z 12 strunami iz rastlinskih vlaken (prvotno 15 
strun).
EM 2866 Shield
Shield made of interwoven thin sticks and plant fibres with a carved handle plate, 
made of a single piece of wood and fixed to two vertical parallel sticks.
Ščit
Ščit iz prepletenih tankih palic in rastlinskih vlaken z izrezljanim ročajem, izdelanim 
iz enega kosa lesa in pritrjenim na dve navpični vzporedni palici.
EM 2864
Dagger and sheath 
(scabbard)
Dagger with wooden hilt and iron blade, in a wooden sheath with an attached 
leather belt.
Bodalo in nožnica
Bodalo z lesenim ročajem in železnim rezilom v leseni nožnici s pritrjenim usnjenim 
pasom.
EM 2675 Crossbow Not in the catalogue/unknown collector from 19
th
 century.
Samostrel Ni v katalogu/ neznan zbiralec iz 19. stoletja.

9 Les/Wood, Vol. 71, No. 2, December 2022
Čufar, K., Beeckman, H., Frelih, M., Krže, L., Hubau, W., & Merela, M.: Wood identification in objects of Bambuti
people from the Congo in the collection of the Slovene ethnographic museum
 
2.3 WOOD IDENTIFICATION
2.3 IDENTIFIKACIJA LESA
Microscopic wood identification was per-
formed by observing the sections under a Nikon 
Eclipse E800 light microscope equipped with a 
Nikon DS-Fil digital camera and using the NIS Ele-
ments BR 3.0 image analysis computer program to 
capture the images. We examined the sections and 
recorded the observed features using the IAWA list 
of microscopic features for hardwood identification 
(IAWA committee, 1989) and InsideWood database 
(Wheeler, 2011; InsideWood, 2022). Afterwards 
the combinations of features were compared with 
reference data from the InsideWood database and 
xylarium of the Royal Museum of Central Africa, 
Tervuren, Belgium.
3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
3 REZULTATI IN RAZPRAVA
3.1 WOODEN ZITHER
3.1 LESENE CITRE
The musical instrument, a wooden zither 
(EM2953), was made of wood of low density. The 
body was about 70 cm long, 20 cm wide, and 2 cm 
thick, and the wood working was rough. The instru-
ment contained twelve plant-fibre strings where-
as the body had 15 incisions at each end, where 
the strings were attached (Figure 4). Two wooden 
sticks, about 2 cm thick, positioned between the 
strings and the body, were used for tensioning the 
strings. They were not fixed, so their position could 
be changed to achieve the desired tone.
Based on its wood structure (Figure 5) the 
wood of the body was identified as Musanga cecro-
pioides R. Br., Urticaceae, with the most frequently 
used common names being African corkwood or 
parasolier (InsideWood, 2022).
The wood is diffuse porous with indistinct or 
absent growth ring boundaries and large vessels 
(tang. diameter ≥ 200 µm), thin walled fibres, par-
atracheal axial parenchyma (scanty, vasicentric), 
heterogeneous rays (body ray cells procumbent 
with 1-4 rows of upright and / or square marginal 
cells), 1-3 cells wide with sheath cells and prismatic 
crystals.
The species Musanga cecropioides grows in 
tropical Africa (PlantUse Musanga, 2022). Its wood 
is of low commercial importance and is not avail-
able on international markets. It has low density 
wood, with an air dry density of 190–370 kg/m³. 
The colour of the wood is basically white, some-
times with a pinkish tinge when freshly cut, turning 
to pale yellow or pale brown upon exposure. Heart-
wood cannot be distinctly demarcated from the 
sapwood. The wood is nondurable, class 5 (CEN, 
2016), as reported by Wagenführ and Wagenführ 
(2022).
The wood belongs to one of the lightest ones 
in the central African forests. It is easy to cut and 
work. It is occasionally locally used for light inte-
rior constructions, partitions, doors, fences, roof 
rafters, stools, beds, musical instruments, toys, 
Figure 3. Collection of small samples for microscopic slides: (a) small drilling tool, (b) dimensions of wood 
sample, (c) collection of wooden splinter with a surgical knife.
Slika 3. Odvzem majhnih vzorcev za mikroskopske preparate: (a) majhno vrtalno orodje, (b) dimenzija le-
senega vzorca, (c) odvzem lesene trske s kirurškim skalpelom.

10 Les/Wood, Vol. 71, No. 2, December 2022
Čufar, K., Beeckman, H., Frelih, M., Krže, L., Hubau, W., & Merela, M.: Identifikacija lesa predmetov ljudstva Bambuti
iz Konga v zbirki slovenskega etnografskega muzeja
 
walking sticks, paddles, trays, baskets, and as a 
cork substitute to make floats for fishing nets and 
small canoes. It is suitable for sporting goods, box-
es, crates, carvings, veneer, plywood, hardboard, 
particle board and wood-wool. The wood is tradi-
tionally used to produce thin split boards. It can po-
tentially be used as industrial insulation. The boles 
were traditionally hollowed out to make containers 
for liquids and small canoes, and to produce carved 
objects.
Figure 4. Wooden zither (length about 70 cm): (a) entire instrument, (b, c) details, and (d) location of wood 
sampling.
Slika 4. Lesene citre (dolžine približno 70 cm): (a) celoten instrument, (b, c) podrobnosti ter (d) mesto 
odvzema vzorca lesa.

11 Les/Wood, Vol. 71, No. 2, December 2022
Čufar, K., Beeckman, H., Frelih, M., Krže, L., Hubau, W., & Merela, M.: Wood identification in objects of Bambuti
people from the Congo in the collection of the Slovene ethnographic museum
 
Musanga cecropioides is an outspoken pioneer 
species, often growing on clear cuts or in disturbed 
areas in wetter forests and on small scale cano-
py-gaps, in regions with a mean annual temperature 
of 25–30°C and annual rainfall of 1300–2500 mm 
or more. The trees are generally characterized by 
quick growth, and are often found around villages 
and along roads. The species usually occurs below 
800 m altitude, and in the Democratic Republic of 
Congo occasionally up to 1200 m (PlantUse Musan-
ga, 2022).
3.2 THE SHIELD
3.2 ŠČIT
The shield is labelled EM2866 and is made of 
different types of plant material. The base of the 
shield is formed by two sticks, which support the 
handle and the front part (mask) of the shield, 
which is artificially made of intertwined plant ma-
terial. The central sticks are positioned along the 
shield, which is about 140 cm long (Figure 6), and 
provide a quality construction solution to improve 
the strength of the shield. The central sticks are 
Figure 5. Wood 
from the body of 
the wooden zither 
Musanga cecro-
pioides with: (a) 
cross-, (b) tangen-
tial-, and (c, d) ra-
dial sections. Scale 
bars–100 µm.
Slika 5. Les glavne-
ga dela citer vrste 
Musanga cecropi-
oides: (a) prečni, 
(b) tangencialni in 
(c, d) radialni pre-
rez. Merilne daljice 
-100 µm.

12 Les/Wood, Vol. 71, No. 2, December 2022
Čufar, K., Beeckman, H., Frelih, M., Krže, L., Hubau, W., & Merela, M.: Identifikacija lesa predmetov ljudstva Bambuti
iz Konga v zbirki slovenskega etnografskega muzeja
 
connected by the handle and a skilfully made piece 
of interlaced plant material, which also serves for 
decoration. The handle is made of one piece of 
wood and is attached to the shield with a rope. The 
object is very light, and therefore was possibly used 
as a ceremonial shield.
The wood of the shield handle was identified 
as Alstonia boonei De Wild. or A. congensis Engl., 
Apocynaceae with the vernacular names cheese-
wood, ekouk or emien. The two species cannot not 
be distinguished based on wood structure (Inside-
Wood, 2022; PlantUse Alstonia…, 2022).
The wood is diffuse porous (Figure 7). Interves-
sel pits are vestured and vessel-ray pits similar to 
intervessel pits in size and shape appear through-
out the ray cell, the fibres are very thin-walled, axial 
parenchyma is reticulate, aligned in narrow bands 
or lines up to three cells wide. Rays are one to three 
cells wide and heterogeneous, with procumbent 
body cells and one to four rows of upright and / 
or square marginal cells. Laticifers are present but 
they are very small (with a similar size to the ray 
cells) and difficult to distinguish in the ray on tan-
gential section (Figure 7b) (InsideWood, 2022).
The heartwood is creamy white and indistinct-
ly demarcated from the up to 20 cm wide sapwood. 
The wood darkens upon exposure to light. The 
grain is straight, occasionally wavy, and the texture 
moderately coarse. Growth rings are indistinct or 
absent. The wood has a disagreeable smell when 
green. It is lightweight, and the mean air-dry den-
sity is 360 kg/m³. The wood is not durable and be-
longs to durability class 5 (CEN, 2016). The wood 
is easy to saw, although the presence of latex may 
cause clogging of sawblades (CIRAD Alstonia, 2022; 
PlantUse Alstonia boonei, 2022; PlantUse Alstonia 
congensis, 2022).
The wood of Alstonia boonei, called alstonia in 
international trade, is used for light constructions, 
light carpentry, open boats, moulding, furniture, in-
terior joinery, implements, boxes, crates, matches, 
pencils, sculptures, and for veneer and plywood. It 
is locally popular for the production of household 
implements because of its good working properties 
and stability. It is easy to carve therefore it is also 
used for masks, sculptures and so on.
The genus Alstonia comprises about 40 species 
with a pantropical distribution. Only two, Alstonia 
congensis and Alstonia boonei, are indigenous in 
Figure 6. The shield (length 140 cm): (a) front and (b, c) back view with the wooden handle.
Slika 6. Ščit (dolžine 140 cm): (a) sprednji in (b, c) zadnji del z lesenim ročajem.

13 Les/Wood, Vol. 71, No. 2, December 2022
Čufar, K., Beeckman, H., Frelih, M., Krže, L., Hubau, W., & Merela, M.: Wood identification in objects of Bambuti
people from the Congo in the collection of the Slovene ethnographic museum
 
Africa. The wood of the two species is closely re-
lated, and the two species are not discriminated in 
use.
3.3 DAGGER AND SHEATH
3.3 BODALO IN NOŽNICA
The dagger with a wooden hilt, iron blade 
and a wooden sheath (EM2864) is a decorated ob-
ject which could be produced and used for ritual 
purposes (Figure 8). Macroscopic inspection of 
the wood revealed that the hilt and sheath were 
made of the same wood species. The sheath is ap-
proximately 35 cm long and is made of one piece 
of wood. It contains a precisely made opening 
which fits the blade of the dagger. A leather belt 
is attached through a hole and enables fitting the 
objects around the waist. The sheath is made with 
exceptional precision, which is evident from the 
wood processing, decoration and precise dimen-
sions. The dagger with an about 30 cm long blade 
and over 10 cm long wooden hilt is also precisely 
made. The blade is decorated with cuts. The pom-
Figure 7. Wood of 
Alstonia sp. from the 
shield handle: (a) 
cross-, (b) tangen-
tial-, and (c) radial 
sections, (d) vestured 
intervessel pits, (e) 
detail showing vessel 
ray pits. Scale bars–a, 
b, c, e–100 µm, 
d–50 µm.
Slika 7. Les ročaja šči-
ta vrste Alstonia sp.: 
(a) prečni, (b) tan-
gencialni in (c) radi-
alni prerez, (d) okra-
šene intervaskularne 
piknje, (e) pogled, 
kjer so vidne piknje 
med trakom in tra-
hejo. Merilne daljice: 
a, b, c, e–100 µm, 
d–50 µm.

14 Les/Wood, Vol. 71, No. 2, December 2022
Čufar, K., Beeckman, H., Frelih, M., Krže, L., Hubau, W., & Merela, M.: Identifikacija lesa predmetov ljudstva Bambuti
iz Konga v zbirki slovenskega etnografskega muzeja
 
mel of the hilt is decorated with bronze rivets. One 
of the photos taken by Paul Joachim Schebesta 
shows two warriors of the Nkundu people in full 
gear, including a dagger, similar to the one investi-
gated in this study (Figure 1c).
The wood of the dagger hilt and sheath was 
identified as similar to Autranella congolensis A. 
Chev., Sapotaceae, with the most common vernac-
ular names being elang and mukulungu (Inside-
Wood, 2022).
This diffuse-porous wood species with small 
vessels (Figure 9) has the following features: in-
tervessel pits alternate, vessel-ray pits with much 
reduced borders to apparently simple pits rounded 
or angular, non-septate fibres present, fibres very 
thick-walled, axial parenchyma diffuse and diffuse 
in aggregates, axial parenchyma in narrow bands or 
lines up to three cells wide (mainly one cell wide), 
eight (five to eight) cells per parenchyma strand, 
ray width one to three cells, body ray cells procum-
bent with mostly two to four rows of upright and / 
or square marginal cells, body ray cells procumbent 
with over four rows of upright and / or square mar-
ginal cells (InsideWood, 2022).
The wood has a high air-dry density (940 kg/
m
³
). The heartwood is red brown and can be clearly 
distinguished from sapwood. The wood is very du-
rable, class 5 (CEN, 2016). The wood is used for hy-
draulic works, sleepers, heavy constructions, poles, 
heavy carpentry, flooring, stairs, sliced veneer, ex-
terior panelling, and cooperage (CIRAD, Autranella 
congolensis, 2022).
Autranella congolensis occurs in primary ev-
ergreen rainforest, and is usually scattered, rarely 
abundant. Natural regeneration is currently poor. 
The growth of trees is slow and very long cutting cy-
cles are probably required for sustainable harvest-
ing. This makes Autranella congolensis a tree with 
few prospects for timber production, and attention 
should concentrate on its protection.
Figure 8. Dagger with 
a wooden hilt and iron 
blade, and a wooden 
sheath with leather belt.
Slika 8. Bodalo z lesenim 
ročajem in železnim rezi-
lom ter leseno nožnico z 
usnjenim pasom.

15 Les/Wood, Vol. 71, No. 2, December 2022
Čufar, K., Beeckman, H., Frelih, M., Krže, L., Hubau, W., & Merela, M.: Wood identification in objects of Bambuti
people from the Congo in the collection of the Slovene ethnographic museum
 
3.4 CROSS-BOW
3.4 SAMOSTREL
The cross-bow (label EM 2675) is entirely made 
of wood and consists of two parts, a bow and han-
dle (stock) (Figure 10). Based on the macroscopic 
examination, we supposed that the two parts must 
be made of two different wood species. The han-
dle is about 120 cm long. Approximately two-thirds 
of its length is the trigger mechanism. From the 
structural point of view, the trigger mechanism is 
remarkably well made (Frelih et al., 2017). The han-
dle is evenly split into two parts, all the way to the 
chisel for the bow string. The bow is about 80 cm 
long. It is made of one piece of bent wood. As the 
distance between both ends of the bow and the 
incisions for the string are short, it is necessary to 
use a wood of exceptional toughness to produce an 
effective weapon.
The wood of the bow is identified as Nauclea 
diderrichii Merr., Rubiaceae, with the most com-
mon vernacular names being bilinga and opepe.
Figure 9. Wood from 
the dagger hilt and 
sheath, Autranella 
congolensis, Sapotac-
eae with (a, b) cross-, 
(c, d) tangential-, and 
(e, f) radial sections. 
Scale bars–100 µm.
Slika 9. Les ročaja in 
nožnice bodala iz lesa 
vrste Autranella con-
golensis, Sapotaceae: 
(a, b) prečni, (c, d) 
tangencialni in (e, f) 
radialni prerez. Me-
rilne daljice–100 µm.

16 Les/Wood, Vol. 71, No. 2, December 2022
Čufar, K., Beeckman, H., Frelih, M., Krže, L., Hubau, W., & Merela, M.: Identifikacija lesa predmetov ljudstva Bambuti
iz Konga v zbirki slovenskega etnografskega muzeja
 
This wood species is diffuse porous and has 
very small, isolated vessels (Figure 11). Other IAWA 
features of the species are: vessel-ray pits with dis-
tinct borders that are similar to intervessel pits in 
size and shape throughout the ray cell, bordered 
pits in fibres can be seen in radial and also in tan-
gential fibre walls, axial parenchyma is diffuse, 
diffuse-in-aggregates or scanty paratracheal, ray 
width one to three cells. Rays have multiseriate 
portion(s) as wide as uniseriate ones, body ray cells 
are procumbent with mostly two to four or over 
four rows of upright and / or square marginal cells 
orperforated ray cells, and the ray-body cells are 
procumbent.
Nauclea diderichii is on the list of commercial 
hardwoods (Richter and Dallwitz, 2002; CIRAD, 
Nauclea diderrichii, 2022). Its heartwood is golden 
yellow or orange yellow, clearly demarcated from 
the sapwood. Its wood is hard, dense (average air-
dry density 760 kg/m
³
) and very durable, in dura-
bility class 1 (CEN, 2016), and it is resistant to fungi 
and insects (CIRAD, Nauclea diderrichii, 2022). It is 
used in joinery, flooring and marine constructions.
Figure 10. Crossbow – different views showing: (b) the bow made of Nauclea diderichii and (s) the stock 
made of Xylopia sp.; arrows show iron belts for reinforcement.
Slika 10. Samostrel, različni pogledi: (b) lok iz lesa Naeuclea diderichii in (s) ročaj iz lesa vrste Xylopia sp.; 
puščice kažejo železne trakove za ojačitev.

17 Les/Wood, Vol. 71, No. 2, December 2022
Čufar, K., Beeckman, H., Frelih, M., Krže, L., Hubau, W., & Merela, M.: Wood identification in objects of Bambuti
people from the Congo in the collection of the Slovene ethnographic museum
 
It is used for railway sleepers, heavy carpen-
try, poles, heavy constructions, hydraulic works, 
flooring, cabinetwork, sliced veneer, ship building, 
planking and panelling (CIRAD, Nauclea diderrichii, 
2022). It was as a rule also used for numerous eth-
nographic objects.
Nauclea diderichii is a tree species natural in 
subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is 
threatened by habitat loss (IUCN, 2022).
The wood of the stock belongs to the genus Xy-
lopia, Annonaceae and we could not identify it to a 
species level. The wood is diffuse-porous with radial 
diameters of vessels of ca. 200 µm. Vessel-ray pits 
have distinct borders and are similar to intervessel 
pits in size and shape throughout the ray cell. Fibres 
have simple to minutely bordered pits. Fibres are 
thick-walled. Axial parenchyma is in narrow bands 
or lines up to three cells wide, reticulate. Ray width 
is one to three, all ray cells are procumbent. Densi-
ty is medium, 400-750 kg/m
³
 (InsideWood, 2022).
Wood structure with a great proportion of 
thick-walled fibres and a homogenous struc-
Figure 11. Wood from 
the bow of the cross-
bow (Nauclea dideri-
chii): (a, b) cross-, (c) 
tangential- and (d, e) 
radial sections; (d) 
detail showing ves-
sel ray pits and pits 
in fibres. Scale bars–
100 µm.
Slika 11. Les iz loka 
samostrela (Nau-
clea diderichii): (a, b) 
prečni, (c) tangenci-
alni in (d, e) radialni 
prerez; (d) detajl s 
piknjami med trakom 
in trahejo in piknjami 
vlaken. Merilne dalji-
ce–100 µm.

18 Les/Wood, Vol. 71, No. 2, December 2022
Čufar, K., Beeckman, H., Frelih, M., Krže, L., Hubau, W., & Merela, M.: Identifikacija lesa predmetov ljudstva Bambuti
iz Konga v zbirki slovenskega etnografskega muzeja
 
ture with uniformly distributed axial parenchyma 
strands indicate that the wood may have a high 
density and favourable mechanical properties.
Up to twenty different species of Xylopia 
grow in the Congo. Although the trees can be 
large enough to be used as timber, the wood is 
relatively unknown in international markets, but 
has some commercial potential if available in sig-
nificant stocks. The wood is moderately hard and 
heavy, moderately durable to durable, of durabili-
ty class 2-3 (CEN, 2016), and has good machining 
characteristics, as shown for Xylopia hypolampsa 
from the forests of the Central African Republic 
(Možina & Torelli, 1977; Torelli, 1983; Čufar, 1984). 
Wood of Xylopia sp. has some decorative value for 
applications such as parquet flooring and furniture 
(Dahms, 1999). One species growing in the Ituri for-
est that is a candidate for the botanical identity of 
the crossbow is Xylopia chrysophyllum.
Figure 12. Wood 
from the stock of the 
crossbow (Xylopia 
sp.): (a, b) cross-, (c) 
tangential-, and (d) 
radial sections. Scale 
bars–100 µm.
Slika 12. Les ročaja 
samostrela (Xylopia 
sp.): (a, b) prečni, (c) 
tangencialni in (d) ra-
dialni prerez. Merilne 
daljice–100 µm.

19 Les/Wood, Vol. 71, No. 2, December 2022
Čufar, K., Beeckman, H., Frelih, M., Krže, L., Hubau, W., & Merela, M.: Wood identification in objects of Bambuti
people from the Congo in the collection of the Slovene ethnographic museum
 
3.5 POTENTIAL OF WOOD RESEARCH IN MUSEUM 
OBJECTS
3.5 POTENCIAL RAZISKAV LESA MUZEJSKIH 
OBJEKTOV
The collection of 96 objects from the SEM con-
tained only few objects which were made of wood 
of larger trees. Nearly all of these objects have in-
ventory labels (Figure 2), featuring their names and 
how the natives possibly used them. Interestingly, 
the labels show two, three, or even four different 
inventory numbers, written with different pens. 
Schebesta probably inventoried and numbered 
the objects in the field, but they were later renum-
bered in Mödling, and perhaps finally once more 
in Ljubljana (Frelih et al., 2017). The pictures from 
Schebesta’s archive stored in the picture archive 
Bildarchiv Austria (2022) additionally help us to un-
derstand the use of the objects (Figure 1).
The wood of the objects has never been stud-
ied, so its potential to shed light on the wood spe-
cies used by the Bambuti and to provide additional 
information on the origin and history of the objects 
could not be exploited.
In four studied objects, we identified five dif-
ferent species (Table 2) from different families, all 
of which grow in the tropical rainforest of Ituri in 
the Congo. The species are mostly unknown in in-
ternational markets. They have different densities 
and other characteristics, and have been effectively 
used to make various objects, confirming that their 
characteristics are well known to the local people, 
the Bambuti.
The choice of species confirms the origin of 
the wood from the Congo, more precisely from the 
dense tropical rainforest of Ituri. Since the species 
are not known internationally and have never been 
used in Slovenia, their identification could only be 
done by making high quality microscopic sections 
for observation under a microscope. This required 
destructive sampling, which in our case was less in-
vasive because the process was optimized and very 
small wood particles were taken. Despite high qual-
ity microscopic sections, identification could not be 
done without the InsideWood collection and col-
laboration with the Royal Museum of Central Africa 
and its xylarium, with collections of wood samples 
and microscopic slides.
The objects in the Ljubljana collection resem-
ble numerous objects in the Weltmuseum Wien in 
Vienna. Archival sources indicate that the objects in 
Vienna originate from the Congo region and come 
from Schebesta’s expeditions in 1929-1930 and 
1934-35 (Frelih et al., 2017).
Our enquiries in Austria and Belgium have 
shown that systematic identification of the wood of 
ethnographic objects from the Schebesta collection 
has mostly not been carried out, as also observed 
for other African collections (e.g., Bontadi & Bern-
Table 2. Wood taxa in the wooden objects from the museum collection and main information; *density of 
air-dry wood from the literature.
Preglednica 2. Vrste lesa v lesenih predmetih iz muzejske zbirke in glavni podatki; *gostota zračno suhega 
lesa iz literature.
Name and museum code
Ime in muzejska koda
Wood species
Vrsta lesa
Family
Družina
Density*
Gostota*
kg/m³
Wooden zither EM 2953
Lesene citre
Musanga cecropioides Urticaceae 190–370
Shield (handle) EM 2866
Ščit (ročaj)
Alstonia boonei
Alstonia congensis
Apocynaceae 360
Dagger and sheath EM2864
Bodalo in nožnica
Autranella congolensis Sapotaceae 940
Crossbow EM 2675
Samostrel
-bow / lok Neuclea diderichii Rubiaceae 760
-stock / ročaj Xylopia sp. Annonaceae possibly >750

20 Les/Wood, Vol. 71, No. 2, December 2022
Čufar, K., Beeckman, H., Frelih, M., Krže, L., Hubau, W., & Merela, M.: Identifikacija lesa predmetov ljudstva Bambuti
iz Konga v zbirki slovenskega etnografskega muzeja
 
abei, 2016; Petrovčič, 2016). However, at least the 
botanical identity of a few objects from the mate-
rial culture of the Bambuti is known, thanks to the 
research of Tanno (1981), who analysed their plant 
use with particular reference to their material cul-
ture and the use of wild vegetables as food.
Since the Bambuti had to move their camps 
regularly, their baggage was rather light. The men 
carried only the hunting equipment and axes, while 
the women carried the household items in baskets. 
Other items were shared with other families and 
used by the group as a whole, or made locally when 
needed (Tanno, 1981). The number of items in the 
material culture of the Bambuti is rather limited 
compared to that seen with sedentary cultures, but 
they testify to a close connection with nature and 
natural resources, and to an exceptional knowledge 
of forest products, including the wood characteris-
tics of various trees, which were used for a wide 
range of applications.
4 CONCLUSIONS
4 SKLEPI
Although the Congolese indigenous objects 
collected by anthropologist Paul Joachim Schebes-
ta are stored in several museums throughout Eu-
rope, and his missions to the Congo are well doc-
umented, the identification of wood in the objects 
has generally not been undertaken.
This study shows that five different wood 
species – namely Musanga cecropioides, Alstonia 
boonei or Alstonia congensis, Autranella congolen-
sis, Neuclea diderichii, and Xylopia sp. – were iden-
tified in four studied objects. They all grow in the 
tropical rainforest of Ituri, Congo, and are largely 
unknown in international markets. Their identifi-
cation could therefore only be achieved by making 
high quality microscopic sections and carrying out 
microscopic wood identification with the help of 
the InsideWood database and the wood collection 
of the Royal Museum of Central Africa. Wood re-
search has thus helped us to obtain additional in-
formation on the origin and history of objects rep-
resentative of the material culture of the Bambuti. 
The selection of wood species confirms their excel-
lent knowledge of the wood properties of species 
growing in the Ituri rainforest habitat.
5 SUMMARY
5 POVZETEK
Slovenski etnografski muzej (SEM) v Ljublja-
ni hrani zbirko predmetov, ki jih je zbral antropo-
log Paul Joachim Schebesta na svojih odpravah v 
Kongu, verjetno v letih 1929 in 1930, ko je obiskal 
deževni gozd Ituri ob reki Kongo in živel med sre-
dnjeafriškimi Pigmejci ter raziskoval njihovo kulturo 
(Frelih et al., 2017). Sistematično zbrani predmeti 
so povezani z življenjem raziskovanih kultur, ki jih 
je predstavil v številnih publikacijah in predavanjih 
po Evropi (Frelih et al., 2017). Veliko zbranih pred-
metov je postopoma podaril ali prodal muzejem v 
Bruslju, Pragi in na Dunaju, del Schebestove afriške 
zbirke pa hrani tudi SEM v Ljubljani. Najverjetneje 
je tja prišla oktobra 1933, ko je imel Schebesta pre-
davanja v Ljubljani in drugih krajih v Sloveniji. V raz-
iskavo smo vključili tudi leseni samostrel iz Konga, 
ki ga je muzej pridobil v drugi polovici 19. stoletja. 
Kdo je muzeju izročil samostrel, ni znano.
Schebestova zbirka v SEM obsega 96 predme-
tov, ki omogočajo osnovno predstavitev glavnih 
dejavnosti v življenju in materialni kulturi različnih 
skupin ljudstva Bambut, ki živijo v deževnem gozdu 
Ituri. Predmeti so večinoma izdelani iz rastlinske-
ga in živalskega materiala. Le nekaj predmetov je 
izdelanih iz lesa večjih dreves. Les doslej še ni bil 
raziskan. V tej študiji smo se osredotočili na izbor 
in raziskavo lesenih predmetov, kjer smo opravili 
identifikacijo lesa. Zanimalo nas je tudi, ali lahko 
raziskave lesa prispevajo k razjasnitvi vprašanj, po-
vezanih z izvorom in zgodovino predmetov, ter kako 
lahko pomagajo muzejskim kustosom.
V depoju SEM smo pregledali nabor predmetov 
in izbrali tiste, ki so domnevno izdelani iz adultnega 
lesa dreves. Izbrali smo štiri predmete: leseno glas-
bilo–citre, ščit z lesenim ročajem, bodalo z nožnico 
in samostrel, sestavljen iz loka in ročaja (pregledni-
ca 1, slike 2, 4, 6, 8, 10). Vsak predmet so skrbno 
pregledali muzejski kustos, konservator–restavra-
tor in strokovnjaki za les, da bi določili optimalno 
mesto za odvzem vzorcev za identifikacijo lesa.
Za odvzem lesa smo razvili metodo, ki je omo-
gočila odvzem majhnih vzorcev, mikroizvrtkov ali 
trsk, za pripravo tankih mikroskopskih preparatov. 
Vzorce lesa smo pod nadzorom muzejskega kustosa 
in konservatorja odvzeli na čim bolj skritih delih 
predmetov. V ta namen smo uporabili posebno 

21 Les/Wood, Vol. 71, No. 2, December 2022
Čufar, K., Beeckman, H., Frelih, M., Krže, L., Hubau, W., & Merela, M.: Wood identification in objects of Bambuti
people from the Congo in the collection of the Slovene ethnographic museum
 
majhno orodje za vrtanje, vrtalnik in nihajno žago 
ter kirurški nož (slika 3).
Pripravljeni so bili trajni mikroskopski preparati 
treh anatomskih ravnin, mikroskopska identifikacija 
lesa pa je bila opravljena s pomočjo platforme In-
side Wood ter referenčnih vzorcev lesa in prepara-
tov iz zbirke Kraljevega muzeja za Srednjo Afriko v 
Tervurnu v Belgiji.
Po odvzemu vzorcev smo les nekaj dni meh-
čali v mešanici destilirane vode, glicerina in etano-
la. Nato smo vzorce opazovali pod povečevalnim 
steklom in jih orientirali ter določili smer rezanja za 
pridobitev prečnih, radialnih in tangencialnih rezin. 
Rezine debeline 10–20 μm smo odrezali s pomočjo 
drsnega mikrotoma Leica SM2000R. V enem prime-
ru je bil vzorec odvzet s kirurškim nožem (slika 3) 
in vklopljen v parafin (Prislan et al., 2022). V tem 
primeru so bili z rotacijskim mikrotomom Leica RM 
2245 narezani 9 μm debeli preparati, ki smo jih 
obarvali z vodno raztopino barvil safranin in astra 
modro, izprali, dehidrirali in nazadnje vklopili v Eu-
paral po standardnem postopku. Na ta način smo 
izdelali po en trajni preparat (prečni, radialni in tan-
gencialni prerez) za vsak predmet ali njegov del, če 
je bil narejen iz več kot ene vrste lesa.
Za mikroskopsko identifikacijo lesa smo upo-
rabili svetlobni mikroskop Nikon Eclipse E800, 
opremljen z digitalnim fotoaparatom Nikon DS-Fil 
in računalniškim programom za analizo slik NIS 
Elements BR 3.0. Preparate smo pregledali in po-
iskali znake za mikroskopsko identifikacijo lesa 
(IAWA Committee, 1989) ter opravili identifikacijo 
s pomočjo računalniškega ključa podatkovne zbirke 
Inside Wood (Wheeler, 2011; Inside Wood, 2022). 
Identifikacijo lesa smo opravili na osnovi kombi-
nacije anatomskih znakov. Po oceni rodu ali lesne 
vrste smo opravili natančne primerjave z referenč-
nimi podatki in slikami iz zbirke Inside Wood in z 
referenčnim materialom iz ksilarija Kraljevega mu-
zeja Srednje Afrike v Tervurnu. Tako smo potrdili 
ali izboljšali predhodno identifikacijo, opravljeno v 
okviru diplomske naloge (Koren, 2017).
Raziskali smo les štirih predmetov. To so glas-
bilo–lesene citre, ščit z lesenim ročajem, bodalo in 
nožnica ter samostrel, izdelan iz dveh sestavljivih 
delov, loka in ročaja. Predmeti so prikazani na slikah 
1, 2, 4, 6, 8 in 10.
Raziskano glasbilo–lesene citre–je bilo izdela-
no iz lesa vrste Musanga cecropioides, ki ima go-
stoto zračno suhega lesa 190–370 kg/m³, uspeva v 
tropski Afriki in ni trgovsko pomemben.
Lažji ščit, narejen iz rastlinskih materialov, ki je 
imel verjetno obredni pomen, je imel ročaj iz lesa 
iz rodu Alstonia (Alstonia boonei ali Alstonia con-
gensis). Rod Alstonia vsebuje okoli 40 vrst, od tega 
samo omenjeni vrsti uspevata v Afriki. Vrsti Alstonia 
boonei in Alstonia congensis sta zelo sorodni, nju-
nega lesa pa ni mogoče zanesljivo razlikovati. Les 
gostote okoli 360 kg/m³ je biološko neodporen in je 
priljubljen za lažje konstrukcije.
Bodalo z lesenim ročajem in leseno nožnico 
je iz lesa vrste Autranella congolensis ali sorodne 
vrste z visoko gostoto iz družine Sapotaceae. Gosto-
ta zračno suhega lesa je okoli 940 kg/m
³
. Les ima 
obarvano jedrovino in je odporen proti biološkim 
škodljivcem.
Samostrel ima lok, narejen iz vrste Nauclea di-
derichii, ki je na seznamu komercialnih lesnih vrst. 
Les ima visoko gostoto 760 kg/m
³
 in zlato do oran-
žno rumeno jedrovino. Je trd in trden ter odporen 
proti biološkim škodljivcem. Ročaj samostrela je 
narejen iz lesa ene od vrst iz rodu Xylopia. V Demo-
kratični republiki Kongo uspeva okoli 20 vrst iz rodu 
Xylopia. Ena od vrst, ki uspeva v gozdu Ituri, je Xylo-
pia chrysophyllum. Les vrst Xylopia je v splošnem 
srednje gostote 400–750 kg/m
³ 
in je malo znan na 
mednarodnih trgih. Raziskovalci z Oddelka za lesar-
stvo so podrobneje raziskali les vrste Xylopia hypo-
lampsa iz Centralnoafriške republike (CAR) (Moži-
na & Torelli; Torelli, 1983; Čufar, 1984), ki so poleg 
anatomije ter fizikalno mehanskih lastnosti raziskali 
tudi njegovo obdelavnost. Centralnoafriški Pigmejci 
so les vrste Xylopia hypolampsa zaradi izjemne žila-
vosti uporabljali za izdelavo strelskih lokov in samo-
strelov (Torelli, osebna komunikacija).
Za vsako od ugotovljenih lesnih vrst so prika-
zane slike treh anatomskih prerezov s tipičnimi mi-
kroskopskimi znaki, ključnimi za identifikacijo lesa 
(slike 5, 7, 9, 11, 12). Vsaka od vrst je tudi opisana z 
vidika lastnosti in rabe lesa (preglednica 2).
Ugotovljene vrste lesa večinoma niso predmet 
mednarodne trgovine in niso široko znane. Njihova 
identifikacija ne bi bila mogoča brez baze podatkov 
za identifikacijo lesa listavcev Inside Wood in pri-
merjav z lesom in preparati iz zbirke Kraljevega mu-
zeja za Srednjo Afriko v Tervurnu.
Čeprav so predmeti, ki jih je zbral antropolog 
Paul Joachim Schebesta, shranjeni v več muzejih 

22 Les/Wood, Vol. 71, No. 2, December 2022
Čufar, K., Beeckman, H., Frelih, M., Krže, L., Hubau, W., & Merela, M.: Identifikacija lesa predmetov ljudstva Bambuti
iz Konga v zbirki slovenskega etnografskega muzeja
 
po Evropi in so njegove misije v Kongu dobro do-
kumentirane, identifikacija lesa predmetov doslej v 
glavnem še nikjer ni bila opravljena.
Ta študija kaže, da je bilo v štirih preučevanih 
predmetih mogoče identificiranih pet različnih vrst 
lesa, ki vse rastejo v tropskem deževnem gozdu Ituri 
v Kongu in so na mednarodnih trgih precej nezna-
ne. Raziskave lesa so tako pomagale potrditi izvor 
lesa in nudijo dodatne podatke o domnevni zgodo-
vini predmetov, ki predstavljajo materialno kulturo 
ljudstva Bambuti. Izbor lesnih vrst potrjuje, da so 
domačini odlično poznali drevesne vrste in lastnosti 
lesa vrst, ki uspevajo v deževnem gozdu Ituri.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ZAHVALE
This study was supported by the Slovenian 
Research Agency ARRS, program P4-0015. Interna-
tional collaboration was supported by COST Actions 
FP1106, STReESS, and FP 1302 Wood Musick. We 
thank Gregor Kos for great support during wood 
sampling, as well as students Luka Koren and Do-
men Petrovčič for their help in the initial stages of 
the work. We thank the InsideWood platform with 
Elisabeth Wheeler and her numerous co-workers 
and contributors for maintaining the database, 
which is indispensable for work with the wood 
anatomy of rare wood species from all over the 
world, including Africa.
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