Name: Bembe Ancestor Statue, Congo #991
SKU: 18047

Product Details ＋

Bembe Ancestor Statue, Congo

Date/Period: Mid 20th century

Embodying the spirit of an ancestor, this sculpture bears keloid tattoos testifying to the successive stages of initiation to which the individual was subjected. Sometimes set with ivory, earthenware or bones, the almond-shaped eyes are here hollowed out.

Established on the plateaus of the People's Republic of Congo ex.Brazzaville, and not to be confused with the Bembe group of northern Lake Tanganinyika, the small Babembé group, Béembé, was influenced by rites and culture Téké, but especially by that of the Kongo. Settled in the current Republic of Congo, the Béembé originally formed the kingdom of Kongo, with the Vili, Yombé, Bwendé and Woyo. The head of the village, nga-bula, was responsible for interceding with the ancestors. Hunting being a major activity, the ancestors were invoked through statuettes. These idealized representations of ancestors,kitebi or bimbi consecrated by the sorcerer, sported the attributes of hunters or healers. Some of them, as among the Bakongo, were magic objects minkisi with nails and which had holes in which medicines, bilongo, or relics of ancestors, were introduced. This statuette is provided with an anal orifice for this purpose.

Measurements: 11.81 Inch

Materials: Wood, fibers

Weight: 1.23 Pounds

Stand not included.

Bembe Ancestor Statue, Congo #991

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