African Arts Gallery

Female figure Mumuye (N° 14272)

The African art Mumuye and the intriguing anatomy of its traditional statues
. Work of the sculptor named rati or molabaiene, this feminine effigy of the Mumuye has a long cylindrical bust on which point reduced breasts and a protruding umbilical. The rounded volume of the shoulders extends with flat arms spread from the torso, interminable, and whose notch suggests movement. The leg blocks devoid of feet is dug with parallel notches. The eyes are drawn in the wood and scarifications diagonally frame the incision forming the mouth. Ethnic lateral pendants are believed to be associated with a helmeted hairstyle, flanked here by a double sagittal crest, or the earlobes of women adorned with large discs. Dark brown, matte, long crack of desication.
The statuary emanating from the northwestern region of the benue middle, from Kona Jukun, to the Mumuye and up to the Wurkun populations stands out for a relative lack of ornamentation and a clean stylization. The 100,000 Adamawa speakers form a group called Mumuye and are grouped into villages, dola, divided into two groups: those of fire ( tjokwa ) relating to blood and red color, guardians of the cult vabong, among which s elected the chiefs, and those of water, ( tjozoza ), related to humidity and white color. It is among these that the priests of the rain are chosen, initiated from the worship vadosong . The Mumuye are organized into family groups called dola . Their statues iagalagana were stored in a box, tsafi, reserved for this purpose, while another box, java , housed an individual with magical powers and surrounding himself with ritual objects related to his function and prestige .