African Arts Gallery

Lega du Bwami figure (N° 20003)

African Lega art and initiation supports Associated with the rites of Bwami, but taking on its full meaning according to its context of use, this initiatory figure of the Legas could evoke a bird whose wings are folded along the bust. Bwami. The teacher guided the aspirant to a place where masks and statuettes were displayed, and it was through careful observation that the future initiate had to guess the more or less complex meaning of the metaphors evoked by the sculptures, the latter referring largely to proverbs and sayings. Those who were not allowed to see the object, in order to be protected from it, had to undergo costly ceremonies, and sometimes even join the lower rank of the Bwami, the kongabulumbu ,at great expense to the families. Each of these initiations took place over seven days and involved at least seven performances. Objects "won" individually were then kept in a woven bag worn on the shoulder, in a basket for those won collectively.