ABSTRACT

In Kivu, according to most traditions, the people of the region had mastered iron-making before their arrival in this part of Zaïre. Given the use of a rich variety of techniques, including prospecting, reduction and manufacture of tools, two principal iron-making methodologies can be identified, corresponding to two areas: (a) the Maniema area, where the main characteristic is a smelting apparatus cut into the ground; and (b) the interlacustrine area, where the main characteristic is a raised round smelting apparatus made of bricks.