Tribal Art

This clan ancestor figure was arranged to contain the mystical charge called "Bonga". It was draped with skin and textile to hold the charge in its receptacle. The faces are streaked with traditional scarification. The chief of the clan had this type of sculpture that adorned an altar. Golden brown patina. Lacks and erosions.
Established between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon, the Téké were organized in chiefdoms whose chief was often chosen from among blacksmiths. The head of the family, mfumu , had the right of life or death over his family, whose importance determined its prestige. The chief of the clan, ngantsié, kept the great protective fetish tar mantsié, who supervised all the ceremonies. It was the powerful healer wizard and soothsayer who "charged" with magical elements, in return for payment, the individual statuettes or nkumi. According to the Teke, wisdom was absorbed and stored in the abdomen. It is also according to the directives of the sorcerer that the cult was given to the ancestors. Their secret society, kidumu , used circular flat masks decorated with polychrome geometric patterns.