Tribal Art

In de Afrikaanse kunst van het midden van Benoué, waar volkeren leven die zijn gegroepeerd onder de naam Mama (Kantana, Montol en Goemai), worden de antropo-zoömorfische beelden geassocieerd met de Mangam-cultus die deze groepen delen, gekenmerkt door een gestileerd hoofd, dat, in dit exemplaar heeft een kam die in profiel de boog van de kaak volgt. De volumes die robuustheid en krachtige energie uitdrukken, kunnen worden gerelateerd aan de Chamba, een naburige etnische groep.

Glanzend gouden patina, inheemse restauratie, erosies.

Net als de maskers worden de beelden binnen de etnische groep gebruikt door de leden van een mannelijke vereniging die verantwoordelijk is voor het handhaven van de sociale orde en het verhogen of bevorderen van de landbouwproductie. ...

Rare sculpture-altar, or clan totem, large, embodying the rooster, spirit of the bush and sacrificial animal also symbolizing combativeness. The light wood is painted with polychrome motifs. Matte patina, abrasions and desication cracks. The African masks and sculptures of the Bobo, Bwa, Kurumba and Mossi, living in Burkina Faso, frequently take up and combine stylized elements borrowed from men, animals or even insects. It is the spirits of nature who are believed to determine an individual's well-being and prosperity, and adversity will be seen as the result of neglect of collective rituals. It is therefore during different celebrations that the mask will personify a spirit of nature or that of an ancestor in order to influence the daily lives of members of the ethnic group. They appear ...

Sporting an emaciated double face surmounting a long neck, this sculpture of a female bust with folded arms, erect and surrounded by cords, offers a double chest which constitutes its base. Various elements have been added: vegetable fiber cords, glass bead buckles, black metal ornaments. Losses, erosions and cracks from use.
br>"Mani" is a diminutive meaning "little person" which qualifies the human-faced African puppets used by the Bambara and Markha during didactic shows. This tradition of puppet theater is common to the multi-ethnic peoples living in the interior delta of the Niger, including the Bozo, in particular in the region of Ségou where it is called "sogobo". The Markha, also called Warka, live in the north of Bambara territory and have therefore been influenced by ...

Wooden animal form, coated with a thick cracked crusty patina.br>
Carved for the most part on order placed by a family, the Dogon tribal statues can also be the object of worship on the part of the whole community when they commemorate, for example, the foundation of the village. These statues, sometimes embodying the nyama of the deceased, are placed on altars of ancestors and take part in various rituals, including those of the sowing and harvesting periods. However, their functions remain little known. Alongside Islam, Dogon religious rites are organized around four main cults: the Lébé, relating to fertility, under the spiritual authority of the Hogon, the Wagem, ancestor worship under the authority of the patriarch, the Binou invoking the spirit world and led by the priest ...

This African head singiti Hemba, which was carved by the bwana mutombo, presents the traditional criteria of Hemba statuary . A chiseled frieze emphasizing the face indicates a beard; the lavish hairstyle was further outlined by a tiara. Usually made of iroko, these objects were venerated by a particular clan and stored in burial rooms in the chief's house.
Grainy patina. Erosions and cracks.
Height on base: 35 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, ...

Sculpted subject frozen in a rare tilting movement protruding the buttocks, the head slightly oriented towards the side of the arm whose hand grasps the phallus. The body and face of the ancestor are incised with scarifications. The dry, furrowed surface is imprinted with various traces of libations. Deep erosions, cracks.
Sculpted for the most part on order placed by a family, the Dogon statues can also be the object of worship on the part of the whole community. However, their functions remain little known. Alongside Islam, Dogon religious rites are organized around four main cults: the Lébé, relating to fertility, under the spiritual authority of the Hogon, the Wagem, ancestor worship under the authority of the patriarch, the Binou invoking the spirit world and led by the priest ...

The nose pierced with a labret, the face framed by the broad sides of the headdress, this female figure offers a columnar bust enlivened by stretched arms with protruding elbows. The columnar bust on which the breasts and umbilicus point flares out towards the blocks of the feetless legs.
Velvety nuanced brown patina, desiccation cracks.
The statuary emanating from the northwestern region of the middle Benoué, from the Kona Jukun, to the Mumuye and up to the Wurkun populations is distinguished by a relative absence of ornamentation and a refined stylization. The 100,000 Adamawa language speakers form a group called Mumuye and are grouped into villages, dola, divided into two groups: those of fire (tjokwa) relating to blood and the color red, guardians of the Vabong cult, ...

Seated, the naked subject presents scarified body motifs, a hairstyle composed of braids assembled in shells. He brings his hand to the breast, in a gesture relating to fertility, the second touches his thigh. Black greasy patina, encrusted residues of kaolin, lacks.
Gifts of women, food, festive ceremonies, and honorable status once rewarded dan carvers who were granted this talent during a dream. The latter was the means of communication of Du, invisible spiritual power, with men. Statuary, rare, had a prestigious role with its owner. These are mainly effigies of wives, lü mä, wooden human beings. These are not incarnations of spirits or effigies of ancestors, but prestige figures representing living people, often commissioned by the chiefs, whose names the statues will bear. ...

Particularly detailed, this African sculpture hermaphrodite adopts a morphology characteristic of the central part of the Bandiagara cliff, bombou-toro. Narrow face topped with braided crests, slender limbs, columnar bust from which the chest projects. The rectilinear subject sits on a stool sculpted with mythical figures.
Velvety matte patina. Chips and cracks.



Sculpted for the most part on order placed by a family, the Dogon statues can also be the object of worship on the part of the whole community when they commemorate, for example, the foundation of the village. However, their functions remain little known.

Spectacular morphology for this African "little favourite" figure, Nyeleni in Bambara, whose feet disappear into a circular base. An angular, airy rhythm gives life to this statue. Brown nuanced and abraded patina, desication cracks.
The Bambara of central and southern Mali belong to the large Mande group, like the Soninke and the Malinke. They believe in the existence of a creator god generically called Ngala who maintains order in the universe. His existence coexists with another androgynous god called Faro, who gave all the qualities to men and who makes the fruits of the earth grow. Large masked parties close the initiation rites of the dyo association and the gwan ritual of the Bambara in the south of the Bambara country. Spread over a period of seven years for men, they are ...

African art Dogon.
Female figure with erect straight arms, Tellem style. Velvety dry surface, speckled patina. Desication cracks.
The African tribal statues of the Dogon can also be worshiped by the whole community when they commemorate, for example, the founding of the village. These statues, sometimes embodying the nyama of the deceased, are placed on altars of ancestors and take part in various rituals, including those of the sowing and harvesting periods. The figures with raised arms symbolized a prayer to Amma for the much-needed rain, but it could also be a gesture of contrition following the violation of a law that caused a drought. The south of the plateau overlooking the Bandiagara cliff has been occupied since the 10th century by the Tellem and the Niongom. They were ...

This ritual sculpture, plated with copper-brass sheets according to the kota tradition, forms a stylized image of the ancestor, also a coat of arms for the clan. Its structure comes from the works produced by the Shamaye of the Ivindo basin. The outgrowth depicts the old braided ibenda of the dignitaries. The Kota inhabit the eastern part of Gabon, which is rich in iron ore, and some in the Republic of Congo. The blacksmith, in addition to wood carving, made tools for agricultural work as well as ritual weapons. The sculptures playing the role of "medium" between the living and the dead who watched over the descendants, were associated with the rites at bwete , comparable to those of the Fang . This type of room, called ngulu, acted as "guardian" of the relics above the baskets ...

Sculpture of great sobriety and yet of great expressive force, it depicts a male being whose narrow bust gradually widens towards bowed legs. Thick forearms surround the umbilicus. The sketchy head is simply notched. This type of statue was used during funeral and initiation rites. Nuanced ritual patina, erosions.

The Kaka ethnic group, or Keaka, so named by the German settlers, is located in a border area between Nigeria and Cameroon. Their statuary shows a certain influence from other ethnic groups such as the Mumuye, whose statues also have short, bent legs surmounted by a slender body. Their very thick and crusty patina, their wide feet as well as the wide open mouth are however typical features allowing them to be distinguished from neighboring ethnic groups.

The mythical monkey nzighu, nziku, whose morphology is summarized here in a truncated bust supported by semi-flexed limbs, reflects the impact of neighboring cultures and mainly sculpture kongo nkisi.
The colors used consist of a white coating (kaolin), color of peace, referring to the genius Bunzi whose brother the chimpanzee would be (Luc De Heusch); red comes from tukula bark, associated with elements such as fire, blood, and flesh.
The blue pigments meanwhile symbolize water and the kingdom of spirits and geniuses. Peeling velvety patina. Erosions, desiccation cracks.
Of Bantu origin, the Lumbu, Loumbu, Balumbu, of the Eshira group, settled on the coastal part of Gabon, and in the Republic of Congo, were once part of the Kongo kingdom. They keep the bones of ...

African animal figure Nkisi (pl. mankishi) of "koso" type in which a bishimba magic charge has been placed behind a glazed cavity in the center of the sculpture. The power of the fetish, according to local beliefs, was further accentuated by the presence of various accessories, such as nails, cords, metal. Among the Kongo, the dog, renowned for its knowledge of the supernatural world, its flair and its vision, had the role of mediator between the living and the dead. The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembe, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo formed the Kôngo group, led by King Ntotela. Their kingdom reached its peak in the 16th century with the trade in ivory, copper and the slave trade. With the same beliefs and traditions, they produced a statuary endowed with a codified ...

Sculpture depicting a woman on whose back is clinging a child. The woman carries an offering cup. The piercing, deep gaze and strong nose characterize the physiognomy. The dense, oily patina, ocher brown in color, has grainy areas. Minor cracks and abrasions.
The Bambara of central and southern Mali belong to the large Mande group, like the Soninke and the Malinke. Large masked parties close the initiation rites of the dyo association and the gwan ritual of the Bambara in the south of the Bambara country. Spread over a period of seven years for men, they are less demanding for women. The new initiates then celebrate, in groups, from village to village, their symbolic rebirth. It is the sons of the blacksmiths who dance around these statues that were placed outside the ...

Female sculpture in a classic posture, fan palms around the abdomen, the legs disappearing into a base forming a pestle called "sedine" or "dol" depending on the dialect. The aesthetic proportions, the tapered lines, however, honor its creator who remained anonymous. Soft matte patina. Desication cracks, chipping on the crest.
These Debele, Deblé figurative tribal statues, sometimes referred to as "child of the Poro" or "bush spirit" , intervened in pairs during funeral processions or during ceremonies marking the end of initiation rites. The initiates of the Poro society, which trained boys from the age of 7, carried them and pounded the ground rhythmically to the sound of drums, opening and closing the march. The central Senufo, on the other hand, place them in the middle of the ...

African statue associated with ancestor worship. Sculpted in rounded volumes, she has a stocky body whose reduced arms mark the bulb of the abdomen. The head, whose chin projects forward, offers exorbitant pupils in connection with the intake of hallucinogenic plants. The posture would be one of those accompanying ceremonial dances. The statue is pierced with attachment holes intended for fragments of relics (small bones, etc...). Worn, abraded kaolin patina, red pigments remain.
The Mbete, Ambete, or even Mbédé, form a tribe of Gabon, on the border of the Middle Congo, close to the Obamba and the Pounou, whose history has been marked by a long-term conflict against the Teke. They do not have a centralized political organization, practice ancestor worship without reliquary boxes, ...

African statue carved of the Mangbetu type depicting a woman in an infrequent posture, naked, tattooed and with her hair done according to traditional usage. This headdress enhanced the elongation of the skull, typical of the group, which a compression of the head from an early age gradually deformed.
Shiny orange-brown patina, matte residual deposits. Desication crack.br> The ancients call beli the anthropomorphic figures embodying ancestors, stored out of sight, and comparable to those belonging to their secret society nebeli. The Mangebetu kingdom in northern Congo produced architectural works that impressed European visitors in the 19th century. Their furniture, weapons, ornaments and statuary were imbued with a rare aesthetic quality. The ethnologist G.A. Schweinfurth in ...

Featuring an asexual being, this sculpture presents a standing figure, with a straight back, hands resting on a voluminous abdomen. The globular head is highlighted by thin asymmetrical ears, while the arches are cut straight, housing pupils in which the beads are absent. The narrow chin forms a small protrusion dominating a fleshy neck. The uns polished surface shows the sculptor's herminette strokes. Oiled dark patina.
This statue comes from the northeastern region of Tanzania, bordering Kenya, opposite the Indian Ocean, where the Paré, Shamba, Zigua, and Mbugu tribes live. A relative homogeneity characterizes the productions of these groups, recalling some of the Malagasy and Bataks with whom, through maritime trade, contact could once have been established. This piece was ...

African nkishi (pl. mankishi) statue of the Songye equipped with the bishimba magic charge fixed on the bust. The protruding, metallic eyes distinguish this singular piece. Light brown patina.
The Nkisi, a protective fetish, plays the role of mediator between god and men, responsible for protecting against various evils. The large specimens are the collective property of an entire village, the smaller figures belong to an individual or a family. In the 16th century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle on the left bank of the Lualaba. Their society is organized in a patriarchal way. Their history is inseparable from that of the Luba, to whom they are related through common ancestors. Very present in their society, divination made it possible to discover sorcerers ...