Tribal Art

Made by the Mbanza or Banja, cousins of the Ngbaka in Ubangi, this sculpted human figure has a face framed by very large ears encompassing the arches and the jaw. Its functions are similar to those of the Ngbaka, as part of therapeutic rites or in preparation for hunting. Abrasions.
The Ubangian crucible has produced many statuettes that share certain similarities, such as a heart-shaped face, as in the Ogooué River region in Gabon. The Ngbaka form a homogeneous people from the northwest of the D.R.C., south of Ubangui. The Ngandi live in the east and the Ngombe in the south. Ref : "Art of Sub-saharan Africa" C. Mullen Kreamer.