African Arts Gallery

Beembé ancestor figure, Bembé (N° 16566)

Statuette of male ancestor Bembé,Béembé, which has, engraved on the bust, body marks associated with scarifications, witnesses of the social and initiation evolution of the individual, specific to Kongo cultures. The look is set with bone. The character adopts the pose of dignitaries during interviews. Glossy patina.
Established on the plateaus of the People's Republic of Congo ex. Brazzaville, the small group of Babembé (pl.) was influenced by the Teké rites and culture, but especially by that of the Kongo. Indeed the Beembé, or Babembé, together with the Vili, Yombé, Bwendé and Woyo, were once part of the tribes of the Kongo kingdom.Before a hunt, for it to be fruitful, the nga-bula , chief of the village, interceded with the ancestors through statuettes kneeling in the position of a hunter. The idealized representations of male ancestors, kitebi or bimbi consecrated by the sorcerer, bore attributes of hunters or healers.