Tribal Art

African sculpture whose singular face offers featureless features and a gaping mouth. The massive head, set into prominent shoulders, is decorated with a crest and a goatee. The volume of the pelvis is supported by wide, crenellated, arched legs. This type of statue was intended for funeral and initiation rites. Thick cracked patina, drying cracks.

The Kaka, or Keaka, ethnic group, so named by the German settlers, is located in a border area between Nigeria and Cameroon. Their statuary demonstrates a certain influence from other ethnic groups such as the Mumuye whose statues also present short, bent legs topped by a slender body. Their very thick and crusty patina, their wide feet and their wide open mouth are, however, typical features allowing them to be distinguished from neighboring ethnic groups.