Tribal Art

Extract from a Belgian African tribal art collection of 17 pieces representing different animals.

This object comes from northeastern Nigeria near Lake Chad, around Maiduguri, in the state of Borno, which is currently relatively inaccessible because it is controlled by armed Islamist groups. The dominant language is Kanuri.
It is a rare piece, associated with protective spirits, which was buried in the ground in order to preserve crops from animals or thieves. The Damosaka families, a very little known minority ethnic group in the region, had this type of ritual object. We have no information about them. The sculpture forms a detailed figurative representation of a turtle offering realistic proportions. Solid clumps of spongy appearance remain on subject's back. A verdigris patina appears.