Tribal Art

Shield of elliptical and convex shape, with regular dense and neat braiding, and whose center bears a wooden protuberance.
A nomadic people, the Tutsi were particularly decimated by the Islamic slave trade and by recurrent internal wars. The groups of people called "Bantous interlacustres", established between Lake Victoria and the Limpopo River, include the Ganda, Nyoro, Nkole, Soga, Toro, Hima, and the Tutsi of Rwanda and Burundi. Their cultures have similarities, like their artistic production and their objects of daily use. The Tutsi raise cattle. They also excel in the art of weaving and basketry. Source: "Africa, the art of a continent" Ed. Prestel P.157

Fringed garment, loincloth, bordering a hand-woven belt made of plant fibers and highlighted with glass beads. More than an accessory, this type of adornment above all forms a “rampart” against evil spirits.
Height on base: 36 cm.
The group of animist peoples Kirdi, or "pagans", as the Islamized peoples have called them, are established in the far north of Cameroon, on the border of Nigeria.
They include the Matakam, Kapsiki, Margui, Mofou, Massa, Toupouri, Fali, Namchi, Bata, Do ayo... They live from agriculture, fishing and livestock.
Among the Fali, the cult of ancestors is illustrated by a great importance given to the skulls of the deceased, because thought and knowledge resided there.

Collection of French African tribal art, the name of the collector will be communicated to the buyer.
This African figure Mumuye of the first generation, created by the sculptor rati or even molabaiene, is anchored on vigorous legs, the bust in a slight inclination . Distinguished by their structure, their hairstyle and their large pierced ears, these statues not only made it possible to call down rain but also played an apotropaic and divinatory role.
Patina of heterogeneous use. Abrasions, erosions and desiccation cracks.
The statuary emanating from the north-west region of middle Benoué, from the Kona Jukun, to the Mumuye and up to the Wurkun populations is distinguished by a relative absence of ornamentation and a refined stylization. The 100,000 Adamawa ...

Ex American tribal art collection.

Consecrated by the nganga, endowed with a magic charge (bilongo) housed in a box closed by a mirror, this statuette meets the criteria of nksi objects. The Vili produced a variety of sculptures of individual use nkisi , to which multiple virtues were attributed. The glazed eyes, encircled with resin, symbolize clairvoyance in a face with naturalistic features. Various accessories are present, some of which would accentuate the power of the object, metal in the form of a padlock, basketry backpack lined with textile, headdress made of leather, strips of fabric and feathers. Eroded base. Chocolate shiny patina.
The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo formed the group Kôngo, led by the king ...

Small anthropomorphic figure, devoid of arms, with a bust wrapped in cords, metal and garnished with cowries. The top of the head was hollowed out to receive various substances for a ritual purpose. These statuettes are said to relate to the ancestors.

In the southern coastal region of Tanzania, around Dar-es-Salaam, a relatively homogeneous group produced most of the artistic output. It includes the Swahili, Kaguru, Doé, Kwéré, Luguru, Zaramo, Kami. The second region is formed by a territory covering the south of Tanzania to Mozambique, where some Makonde and Yao, Ngindo, Mwéra, and Makua live. In the North-East of Tanzania, the Chaga, Paré, Chamba, Zigua, Maasai, Iraqw, Gogo, and Héhé have an artistic production presenting similarities with Malagasy and Batak art, ...

Dedicated to a protective genius, this voluminous version of the African maskNam Gbalang or Lang Badna is a powerful symbol associated with the Vara cult.

This mask associated with the wild and dangerous spirit of the buffalo appears during the rites of passage of the Kaa festival and during high-ranking funerals.

According to some, this mask represents a queen whose Chamba lineage claims to descend from the forest buffalo.
The rounded dome of the mask, evoking a skull, is associated with death and ancestors.
The other characteristics are linked to the wild world of nature, so the mouth symbolizes the jaws of the crocodile. The Nam Gbalang mask is danced with a costume made of raffia which completely covers the body of the man who wears ...

Statuette representing a kneeling hermaphrodite figure, hands resting on his thighs. This type of sculpture associated with an individual cult adorned the Dogon family altar. Thick and dense grainy patina in greyish browns.
Carved for the most part on commission by a family, Dogon statues can also be the object of worship by the entire community. Their functions remain little known, however. In parallel with Islam, Dogon religious rites are organized around four main cults: the Lebe, relating to fertility, under the spiritual authority of the Hogon, the Wagem, the cult of the ancestors under the authority of the patriarch, the Binou invoking the world of the spirits and directed by the priest of the Binou, and the society of the masks concerning funerals.

Collection of Monegasque African tribal art.
Made by the blacksmith fon according to the instructions of the soothsayer named fa this ancient fetish whose general appearance is reduced to the essential part is draped with textile. Missing, matte patina.
The multitude of Fon gods (the vodun), similar to those of the Yoruba under different names, are represented by fetishes of all forms and nature. Their sanctuaries are found in Togo, Dahomey, and western Nigeria. Statuettes embodying the legba, protectors of the home, are often attached to them. The faithful administer daily offerings and libations to them, supposed to activate their power. The Fon live in part of the Republic of Benin which formerly formed the Kingdom of Dahomey. According to legend, a princess of Yoruba ...

Ample distended ears frame the face, moreover underlined by a crenellated beard and topped with a high tiara, of this sculpted figure. The assertive posture brings out the bulbous abdomen on which the hands rest. Locally peeling dark patina. Erosions, gaps, and desication cracks.

The Jukuns are a population of West and Central Africa living mainly in Nigeria in the upper Bénoué Valley, also in northwestern Cameroon.
Thanks to the he expansion of the old Jukun Empire, the Jukun or Wurbo of Nigeria scattered into two groups: one established south of the Donga River, and the second north of the region, near the Mumuye and the Wurkum. The attacks of the Chambas first of all, then of the Fulani then, contributed to the extinction of this kingdom. Their king Aka uku, ...

African Nkisi, nkishi (pl. mankishi )statue of the Songye, whose head takes on the features of the kifwebe mask. The arms surround the bust, providing, as dictated by custom, a space to grasp the sculpture with metal hooks. Here, the magical bishimba charge appears to have been introduced at the top of the head from which a horn rises. The piece has likely been stripped of its accessories.
Grayish brown matte patina with kaolin encrusted residue. Slight lacks on the base and abrasions. These protective fetishes for homes are among the most prized in Africa. The Nkisi plays the role of mediator between god and men, responsible for protecting against various evils. The large examples are the collective property of a whole village, and the smaller figures belong to an ...

Thick, lumpy patina of use for this African animal mask offering outwardly erect ears, a protruding forehead, a blunt nose and a large, toothy grin. Seams resulting from ritual libations. Slight residual pigments, red ochre, additionally appear at the ears under the crusty coating.
Desiccation cracks and abrasions.
The Dogon people are renowned in African tribal art for the myths and beliefs relating to their cosmogony.
The population is estimated at about 300,000 souls living southwest of the Niger loop in the Mopti region of Mali (Bandiagara, Koro, Banka), near Douentza and part of northern Burkina (northwest of Ouahigouya).They produce more than 80 types of masks, the best known of which are the Kanaga , Sirigé , Satimbé , Walu . Most of them are used by ...

Kouyou figures represented frontally, the hands placed near the armpits, under prestigious necklaces. Their scarifications would refer to the scales of the mythical serpent Djo, which would have created the world and father of Ebongo, primordial hybrid ancestor of men. Polychrome matte patina, abrasions, and cracks.
Two totemic clans once formed the Kuyu ethnic group, living along the river of the same name, in the northwest of the People's Republic of Congo: to the west that of the panther, and to the east that of the snake. A secret male association, Ottoté, played an important political role in the appointment of chiefs. The initiation of young people ended with the revelation of the serpent god Ebongo represented in the form of a head. The Kibe-kibe dances that accompanied ...

Collection d' art africainbelge
. Les expression artistiques d' art africain dans le Grassland camerounais.
Ce masque tribal africain , sculpté dans un bois dense, était porté sur le sommet de la tête. Le visage aux formes pleines, représentations humaines typiques des Grasslands, est coiffé d'une tiare circulaire ajourée. Cette oeuvre ancienne rappelle les masques tu nkum des Bamileke portés lors des célébrations du nja et les masques nzeup apparaissant au cours des danses et des processions de la société kunze (kemjye dans la région de Bandjoun) gardienne des traditions. Patine d'usage, abrasions et fissures de dessication.

Située dans la région frontalière du Nigeria, la province du Nord-Ouest du Cameroun, le Grassland  est constituée de plusieurs ...

Collection African tribal art Belgian
Present along the Gabonese coast, the Vili broke away from the Kongo kingdom in the 16th century and the Loango kingdom became a powerful state. Now mostly urbanized, they still integrate traditional associations, depending on the cult of ancestors such as Mbouiti or Bieri. Just like the Kongo group, in order to protect themselves against witchcraft and various scourges, they produce a wide variety of magical ritual objects of the nkisi type. Their masks are used by the Ndunga or Djembe association, but also for the funerals of dignitaries and during traditional initiations. Still others are reserved for diviners.
The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo formed the Kôngo group, led by king ...

Endowed with a tubular excrescence for gripping, this sculpture of a female figure is fixed in a classical attitude, palms arranged around the abdomen, legs disappearing into a pedestal forming a pestle called " sedine " or " dol " according to the dialect. The figuration of bracelets around the wrists and waist should be noted: In order to honor the wisdom and knowledge of the elders, the Senoufo adorned themselves with jewels that could also be placed on the altars. Brown-black oiled patina, glossy. Cracks of desiccation, localized erosions.
These figurative tribal statues Debele , Deblé , sometimes called " child of Poro " or " bush spirit ", were used in pairs during funeral processions or during ceremonies marking the end of initiation rites. The initiates of the ...

African authorship expressionist style. The legs in flexion, the protruding bust extended by the arms emphasizing the concave bust, contribute to the energy expressed by the face. This type of statue was used during funeral, initiation or even therapeutic rites. Thick brown cracked patina. Cracks and erosions.

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.

Bronze sculptures referring to the primordial ancestors of the Dogon. These African Dogon statues, in bronze, indeed evoke the Nommos, mythical beings at the origin of creation among the Dogon of Mali. Greenish patina.

The Dogon are a people renowned for their cosmogony, their esotericism, their myths and legends. Their population is estimated at around 300,000 souls living in the south-west of the Niger loop in the Mopti region of Mali (Bandiagara, Koro, Banka), near Douentza and part of northern Burkina (north-west of Ouahigouya ). Remains of old steelworks on the Bandiagara plateau, dating from the 15th century, confirm the activity of the blacksmiths. The latter form an endogamous caste among the Dogon called irim They now produce weapons, tools, and also work with ...

Ex-Belgian African art collection.
African masks and Muslim influence.
Established in Ivory Coast, but also in Ghana, the Ligbi, islamized, underwent the influence of s Senufo, since they charged Senufo or Mandé with carve their masks. The Djimini, on the other hand, are Senufo living in the Dabakala region. Their masks linked to the do society whose dances were generally supervised by the Ligbi are imbued with these reciprocal influences. This masked tradition, shared by the Djimini, has been preserved to manifest itself during the religious festivals of aïd-el-fitr and Aïd el-Kébir (festival sheep) accompanied by sacrifices and songs, and thus symbolizing the breaking of the fast. Just before the festivities, if necessary, the mask will be repainted and therefore coated ...

Ex-collection of French African tribal art.
It is through different secret societies that Bambara initiates acquire their knowledge, including that of Koré, targeting elders and during which zoomorphic masks are used. The society of Koré is divided into eight classes of initiates, the sixth of which is that of hyenas, or surukuw.

Mask bearing traces of use , tooth implantation orifices.
Velvety matte patina, erosions.

Established in central and southern Mali, in a savannah area, the Bambara, "Bamana" or "unbelievers", as the Muslims called them, belong to the large Mande group, with the Soninke and the Malinke. Groups of Bambara nyamakala artisans, more specifically blacksmiths called numu, are responsible for carving ritual objects, endowed with nyama ...

Ex-Belgian African art collection. br>
This African mask Baoulé, a sculpture called portrait-mask or Ndoma, has a hairstyle organized in three shells. The face bears scarifications called " ngole". Grainy dark brown surface, partially flaking. Desication cracks, indigenous restorations.
Height on base: 56 cm.
These Baoulé portrait masks, ndoma, which are part of one of the oldest Baoulé artistic traditions and frequently represent an idealized character, have the particularity of appearing at the end of entertainment dance ceremonies. .These are named, depending on the region, bedwo , ngblo , mblo , adjussu , etc... . Each of these masks are distinguished by the hairstyles, the location and the choice of scarifications. They occur during danced events accompanied by ...

A mediator object of a rare type, loaded with symbolic accessories and a twisted metal rod intended to grip the fetish. A thick, orange, crusty patina covers the sculpture.
The Songye fetish, a magical sculpture Nkisi, nkishi (pl. mankishi ), plays the role of mediator between gods and men. The larger specimens are collectively owned by an entire village, while the smaller figures belong to an individual or a family. In the 16th century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle in Kasai, Katanga and South Kivu. Their society is organized in a patriarchal manner. Their history is inseparable from that of the Luba to whom they are related through common ancestors. Divination is very present in their society and allowed them to discover sorcerers and to shed ...