Tribal Art

Hemba head (N° 22954)

This statue fragment, an African head singiti hemba, carved by the bwana mutombo, presents a haughty character proper to Hemba statuary. The frame of the face is enhanced by a fine tiara and a chiselled beard collar. Usually made of iroko, these objects were revered by a particular clan and stored in burial chambers in the chief's house.
Grainy light brown patina. Erosions and cracks.
Height on base: 42 cm.
The Hemba have long been subject to the neighboring Luba empire, which has had a certain influence on their culture, their religion and their art. Ancestor worship is central to Hemba society. Genealogy is indeed the guarantor of privileges and the distribution of land. All aspects of the community are imbued with the authority of the ancestors. Thus, these are considered to have an influence on justice, medicine, law and sacrifices. Mastering sculpture with talent, the Hemba have mainly produced statues of singiti ancestors, embodying chiefs, local warriors, or lineage ancestors whom they venerate in order to appease the spirits mizimus . A wide variety of ritual objects, fetishes, monkey masks, calabashes, and other daily use objects have made them famous.