The Lengola are a Central African people, living in the equatorial forest zone of the central-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on both sides of the Lualaba – the upper Congo River.
They are part of the larger Mongo group.
The Lengola, Democratic Republic of the Congo are numbering 234,000 (Peoplegroups.org, 2025)
Living on the left bank of the Zaire River are the Lengola people, who number 100,000. Several ethnicities are also found in this region -- the Mbole, the Yela, and the Metoko, and among them it is difficult to distinguish since their social structure is similar.
They speak Lengola, a Bantu language, with an estimated 100,000 speakers in 1998.
In terms of their social organization and production, the Lengola are quite close to the Metoko and Kumu, as well as the Mbole and Yela, and it is not always easy to distinguish their creations. Other stylistic similarities suggest the influence of the Lega, their neighbors to the east.
They make their living from banana farming and hunting.
The Butoka society regulates their social, political and economic activities.
The Lengola had rituals of circumcision and initiation.
Divided into lineages, they are very intricately crossed to the point where statues sculpted by one group may be found among another.
The Lengola notably carve large, articulated wooden statues, which are used during initiation ceremonies into Kota society. Masks are few in number, somewhat influenced by Lega style, are also produced.
Lengola produce large statues Butoka, which are made of six pieces of wood and have apotropaic functions and ensure social stability. Abstract, polychrome masks were used during the closing initiation rite, when the statues would be ceremonially brought out.