Tribal Art

African statue of an altar belonging to an anjenu cult very widespread among the animist Idoma as well as among the Igala and the Yoruba of the South. This traditional sculpture is supposed to promote fertility and protect offspring. These statues which benefited from offerings were kept in sanctuaries. Crusty matte patina. Desiccation cracks, erosions.
.
The Idoma live at the confluence of the Benué and the Niger. Their art and customs are marked by Igbo, Cross River and Igala influences and it is often difficult to distinguish them from their neighbors. Royal lineage members of their oglinye society, glorifying courage, use masks and crests during funerals and festivities. The Anjenu cult worships the spirits of the bush, who are said to reside in waterways and ...

br>
This sculpture with a balanced morphology has a thick greasy patina. The traditional ethnic scarification marks can be seen on the surface. These tribal marks were made on the abdomen after the birth of the first child.
Good condition despite some desiccation cracks.
This type of figure also topped karan-wemba masks. These statues have become rarer due to the conversions of their owners to Islam. The patina usually comes from renewed applications of shea butter. Mossi chiefs have prestigious statues gathered in the house of ancestral spirits, and those of diviners, representing ancestors, have a sacrificial patina.
Upper Volta, Burkina Faso since independence, is composed of the descendants of the invaders, horsemen who came from Ghana in the ...

The rich production of African art among the populations of Cameroonian Grassland is illustrated mainly by wood statuary: commemorative sculptures of kings, queens, princesses and titled servants, as well as the parents of twins. Within the large Bamileke people in western Cameroon, the Bangwa constitute a small kingdom. The influence of the Bamileke on Bangwa statuary is notable by their relatively comparable facial features and morphology. Typical of the Bamileke country, Bangwa statues often represent fertility but also power and combativeness. They are often positioned on either side of the induction chairs during meetings of notables.
Crusty dark patina. Minor cracks.

The Tikar inhabit the western part of central Cameroon which is located within the dense secondary forest of medium altitude, along the Mbam. Within this ecotone, the "tikar plain" (which takes its name from its current occupants) constitutes a depression which leans respectively to the west and to the north to the Mbam massif and to the first foothills of the Adamaoua plateau . From an ethnic point of view, the current boundaries of the Tikar country coincide with those of the Bamun to the west (Foumban), the Mambila to the northwest, the Foulbé to the south, the Babouté to the southeast (Yoko) and small groups individuals (Djenti, etc.) scattered across its borders. The structure of the kingdom is made up of a large chiefdom subdivided into districts: the residences of queens, children ...

The look symbolizing mediumistic abilities, a hallucinogenic root between the teeth, this African statue displays a bust with a receptacle for magical substances. This type of African sculpture sometimes illustrates a proverb. Crusty patina imprinted with kaolin, desiccation cracks.
The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo constituted the Kôngo group, led by the ntotela king. Their kingdom reached its peak in the 16th century with the trade in ivory, copper and the slave trade. With the same beliefs and traditions, they produced statuary with codified gestures in relation to their vision of the world. The nganga sorcerers, both healers, were in charge of religious activities and mediation towards the God called Nzambi through ...

This type of seat, a symbol of power that can here serve as a table or pedestal table, was frequently used as a pedestal for mankishi (sing. nkishi) fetishes. A female subject wearing a Kifwebe mask supports the circular tray. These seats were sometimes charged with a bishimba at the level of the head, the umbilicus or in the base. Brown patina nuanced with ocher, small accidents.
In the south-west of the Congo, and in Angola and Zambia, each chief had a seat with a female caryatid, an image of fecundity and fertility and of matrilineal descent. The Songye came from the Shaba region in the DRC and settled between the Lualaba River and the Sankuru River in the middle of savannah and forests. They are governed by the yakitenge and by local chiefs. Lit. : "The Sensible and the ...

African headrests come in an almost infinite variety: this type of African headrest, at the same time a stool, has a dark glossy patina. This massive block with a gently curved oval top was probably made by the Sidama or Gurage people of southern and southwestern Ethiopia. The latter are among the eighty ethnic groups in Ethiopia who produced various neck rests for individual use called yagerteras, or "pillows of my country" or "Boraati" ("tomorrow you").
Slight cracks.
Over time, the realization becoming more complex until becoming real small masterpieces of sculpture, they also became individual objects of prestige and power, placed on family or collective altars. These objects were initially intended to protect the elaborate hairstyles of their owner (man or woman) ...

Anthropomorphic figure of an ancestor, bust, presenting closed eyes with rounded eyelids, thick lips, a large tri-lobed hairstyle extending down the back. A white clay-based patina, called mpemba, covers the whole, like the okuyi masks. This same makeup also covers the dancers during the different rites and ceremonies. This type of punu and lumbu sculpture was intended for magical use, or to sit on a reliquary package in which the object was inserted.
Desiccation cracks and abrasions.
The Punu settled in southwest Gabon and the Congo following conflicts with their Fang neighbors. Punu art objects, imprinted with the Kongo world, are linked to funerary rituals, to the initiation rites of the mukudji society but also to specific magical rites during which the dancers ...

French African art collection.
This rare male figure offers a solid constitution resting on ample digitized feet. Her necklace, imprisoned around a resinous mass, forms an amulet with a protective aim. Patterns depicting cowries are traced. Grayish ritual patina, locally crusty. Cracks, abrasions from use.
Gifts of women, food, festive ceremonies, and honorable status once rewarded dan carvers who were granted this talent during a dream. The latter was the means of communication of Du, invisible spiritual power, with men. Statuary, rare, had a prestigious role with its owner. These are mainly effigies of wives, lü mä, wooden human beings.

Attached with a wicker clamp, the lower jaw of this mask embodying an ancestor or a high-ranking character, can be articulated, revealing wooden sticks representing a dentition.
Two-tone satin patina. Abrasions.
African mask inspired by Ogoni culture

The Ogoni live along the coast of Nigeria, near the mouth of the Cross-River, south of the Igbo and west of the Ibibio. Their carvings vary from village to village, but are primarily renowned for their jointed jaw masks such as some Ekpo Ibibio masks. Their masks were usually worn at funerals, festivities accompanying planting and harvesting, but also more recently to welcome distinguished guests. Acrobatic demonstrations linked to the karikpo celebration, and accompanied by the kere karikpo drum, were additionally ...

Within the very refined figurative sculpture of the Kuba groups, the prestigious objects held by members of the royal family and the Bushoong and Dengese, are always decorated with traditional motifs. Similar motifs also adorn the diviner's accessories, such as this divination instrument without its pusher. These tools, used to solve various problems, take up animal motifs associated with ngesh (spirits of nature) but also human motifs referring to ancestors and masks, as is the case here. Beautiful satin mahogany brown patina. Height on base: 38 cm.
The Kuba kingdom or "lightning people" was founded in the 16th century by the main tribe Bushoong which is still ruled today by a king, and whose capital was Nshyeeng or Mushenge. The Lele are established in the west of the Kuba ...

The nose pierced with a labret, the face framed by the broad sides of the headdress, this female figure offers a columnar bust enlivened by stretched arms with protruding elbows. The columnar bust on which the breasts and umbilicus point flares out towards the blocks of the feetless legs.
Velvety nuanced brown patina, desiccation cracks.
The statuary emanating from the northwestern region of the 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 language speakers form a group called Mumuye and are grouped into villages, dola, divided into two groups: those of fire (tjokwa) relating to blood and the color red, guardians of the Vabong cult, ...

This female figure forms the sculpted incarnation of a edjo , hence the name edjo re akare. With igbeton high-ranking women, she also has jewelry, necklaces and scarifications. The surface remains partially encrusted with white clay and red pigments, the base on which the piece rests is fragmented. Cracks and gaps located on the lower part.
The Urhobos , living near the northwest of the Niger Delta River, form the main ethnic group of the Delta State among the 36 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They speak Urhobo, a language of the Niger-Congo group. Together with the Isoko whose art is close, they are collectively known as Sobo . Their large sculptures depicting the spirits of nature, edjo , or those depicting the founding ancestors of the clan, to whom sacrifices were ...

Figure of an ancestor represented naked, kneeling on a circular flat surface. The head offers a chiseled crest, the face has slanted eyes accentuating the arrow shape of the nose. Pursed lips give a determined and concentrated physiognomy. Long, slender limbs are adorned with bracelets, the body marked with fine scarified motifs, the buttocks rest on very long feet.
Interesting speckled red ochre, blackish patina and light pigments.
Desication cracks.
Carved for the most part on order placed by a family, Dogon statues can also be the object of worship on the part of the whole community when they commemorate, for example, the foundation of the village. However, their functions remain little known. Alongside Islam, Dogon religious rites are organized around four main cults: ...

A symbol of power, this African statue features a founding ancestor and mythical hero, Chibinda Ilunga, wearing the chipangula, intended for chiefs. He holds a ritual horn and a staff. The chiefs had a major function in the propitiation rites intended for hunting and the fertility of women. Applications of castor oil and coloring plant decoctions were generally administered to the surface.
Erosions.

Peacefully settled in eastern Angola until the 16th century, the Chokwé were then subject to the Lunda empire from which they inherited a new hierarchical system and the sacredness of power. Three centuries later, they ended up seizing the capital of the Lunda weakened by internal conflicts, thus contributing to the dismantling of the kingdom. The Chokwé did not have ...

The African statues associated with the Byeri cult embody the ancestor of the clan acting as "guardians" of reliquaries.
Figured seated, wrists and shoulders encircled by wicker vines crossed behind the back , the subject offers classically prominent musculature. A fragment of a ritual mirror lines the bottom of a cup placed on the bust. Hollowed pupils indicate a trance state.
Heterogeneous oiled patina, abrasions, restoration and cracks from use.

Among the Fang of Cameroon and Gabon, each family has a "Byeri", or reliquary box, in which the bones of the ancestors are kept. These boxes were guarded by the oldest man in the village, the “esa”. The reliquary boxes were topped with a statue or head which acted as guardian of the “byeri” boxes. These were kept in ...

This sculpture of African art Dogon, with a surreal aspect, carved in wood, is made up of an assembly of heads, separating into branches. One of the elements is a long neck bearing an ancestor's face. Golden beige grainy patina. Desication cracks.

These statues, sometimes embodying the nyama of the deceased, are placed on ancestor altars and take part in various rituals, including those during sowing and harvesting periods. Alongside Islam, Dogon religious rites are organized around four main cults: the Lébé, relating to fertility, under the spiritual authority of the Hogon, the Wagem, ancestor worship under the authority of the patriarch, the Binou invoking the spirit world and led by the priest of the Binou, and the society of masks concerning the funeral.
According to ...

br>Close systems of Sudanese regions in tribal art.
The door is made of four planks. Schematized anthropomorphic figures refer to the ancestors and are also associated with traditional sculptures linked to fertility. Beautiful locally abraded matte patina.
Upper Volta, Burkina Faso since independence, is made up of the descendants of the invaders, horsemen who came from Ghana in the 15th century, named Nakomse, and the Tengabibisi, descendants natives. Political power is in the hands of the Nakomsé, who assert their power through statues, while the priests and religious leaders are from the Tengabisi, who use masks during their ceremonies. Animists, the Mossi worship a creator god named Wendé. Each individual would have a soul, sigha, linked to a totemic animal.

Ex-French African artcollection.
Within the wide diversity of nkisi sculptures to which multiple virtues were attributed, this African maternity in figurative style, image of the protective ancestor of the clan, offers an abundance of very finely chiseled details. This type of female statue was accompanied by its male counterpart named Mabyaala.
Burgundy brown satin patina. Minor erosions and desiccation cracks.
The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo formed the Kôngo group, led by king ntotela . With the same beliefs and traditions, they produced statuary with codified gestures in relation to their vision of the world.
Ref. : "Africa, the art of a continent" ed. Prestel (p.247)

Ex-collection of French African art.
Symbolizing according to some authors the naja snake, this wooden sculpture decorated with strips and metal plates is characteristic of the Mahongwe of the extreme northeast of Gabon, on the Congo border. Baskets containing the relics of illustrious ancestors, generally topped by two reliquaries, were kept in village temples. One of them embodied the founder of the lineage, and the second his descendants.
The cult of ancestors, the bwete (North Kota) was at the heart of the social and religious life of the Kota and presents many analogies with that of the i>Fang. In the exclusive presence of initiates, the major decisions of the clan were taken during ceremonies during which reliquaries were taken out and used. In order to reactivate ...

Ex private French collection of African art. Typical representation of a maternity according to the canons of art Tikar. Sitting on a royal stool, she holds two children on her lap. High-lined, she is richly adorned with jewels, necklace and bracelets around her neck and wrists. The headdress is very elaborate and many ritual scarifications cover her belly. The seat of the stool is highly worked and based on a five-person caryatid base. The tribes that live in the Grasslands, in northwestern Cameroon, are part of the Tikar peoples, divided into several independent kingdoms in the Bafut kingdom. The structure of the kingdom consists of a large chiefdom subdivided into quarters: residences of queens, children and notables. The notables constitute the hierarchy of the chieftaincy.