The Songye tribe is one of the many tribes that can be found in the Democratic Republic of Congo formally known as Zaire. Their main source of livelyhood was farming and hunting. During the time that the men would go hunting, the women would be left unprotected. To remedy this, these door panels would be used. It was believed that they ward off any unwanted sprits and thereby protect the inhabitants of the house on which door they were hung. This is a beautiful example of the functional art of the Songye tribe.