Women of the Luba society are prevalent among a majority of the artifacts found at the museum. A double cup carved of wood containing a woman's face on the handle and the cups as her breasts suggests that women of Luba society are referred to as spirit containers in life and in art, as double cups are often used by diviners to hold sacred medications. In most pre-industrial societies the greater the exchange rates of goods, the higher the status of women. The exchange rate for gathered goods is probably notably high in the Congo directly correlating with that of women's status.
Wood carvings make up for most of the art and artifacts of the Luba people. Living in Central Africa they probably integrate slash and burn method of simple horticulture, along with hunting and gathering of crops. The usage of wood as art suggests that trees are abundant on the land. Wood was the common media among the Luba masks that were present at the SAM. Luba masks appeared very similar to those of the Songye tribe. The Songye tribe is also located in The Democratic Republic of Congo, so it is very possible that either the Luba were influenced by Songye artwork, or visa-versa. Masks from each of these societies appear predominantly round, carved out of wood with a light white pigment on them. This helps support the idea that the Luba people are close enough to another society in order to exchange concepts and ideas. .
There are five basic components that are present in every human society. Population must be taken into account when analyzing a society. The Luba societies genetically appear to be heterosexual and mostly monogamous, although many African hunting and gathering societies are known for practicing polygyny. This can be concluded because of the high esteem in regard to the women of the tribe. A large amount of the artwork overly emphasizes the importance and difficulty involved in childbirth. This insinuates that kinship is of importance.
