Ex-collection Belgian African art. The statuette perched on a stool in the center of the sculpted composition, carrying on the shoulders a female figure, embodies a clan chief. This type of object was used during the enthronement rites. Warm brown patina, powdery ochre residues. Cracks of desiccation. The Tabwa ("to scarify" and "to write") constitute an ethnic group present in the South-East of the DRC, around Lake Tanganyika. The tribes of this region, such as the Tumbwe , devote a cult to the ancestors mipasi thanks to sculptures held by chiefs or sorcerers. A magical charge ( dawa )was frequently introduced at the top of the head of the statues. Healing diviners used such objects to unveil witchcraft and protect against evil spirits. . Simple cultivators without centralized power, the Tabwa people federated around tribal chiefs after being influenced by the Luba. It is mainly during this period that their artistic current expressed itself mainly through statues but also masks. The Tabwa practiced ancestor worship and dedicated some of their statues to it. Animist, their beliefs are anchored around the ngulu , spirits of nature present in plants and rocks. Source: "Treasures of Africa" ed. Tervuren Museum.
280.00 € Possibility of payment in2x (2x 140.0 €) This item is sold with its certificate of authenticity
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