African Arts Gallery

Petie zoomorphic figure, she belonged to an insider of the Bwami and was part of a set used during the initiations. The animal world was indeed widely represented in the educational metaphors that made up the teaching of Bwami. Insiders sought to appropriate the qualities of the animals that inhabited their environment. The objects were passed down from generation to generation, such as this honey-coloured sculpture, patinated by gripping, and whose tapestry nails indicate the eyes.
The Teacher of the Bwami guided the aspiring lega to a place where African lega masks and statuettes were exhibited, and it was through careful observation that the future initiate had to guess the more or less complex meaning of these objects, true metaphors largely referring to proverbs and sayings. Those who were not allowed to see the object, in order to be protected, had to submit to expensive 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 included at least seven performances. Individual items were then kept in a woven bag worn over the shoulder in a basket for those that were won collectively.