Tribal Art

African mask whose rounded forehead, delimited by parallel streaks indicating the hair, offers a midrib running from the skull to the tip of the nose. This element characterizes the statuary from the area between the Guro and the Bétés. The toothed mouth is in powerful projection. This mask, whose function remains poorly documented, would symbolize masculine strength, and perhaps also a notable named "migone". Mottled matte patina, long desiccation crack of the thick patina. Kaolin filmy residues.
The Bété form a tribe established on the left bank of the Sassandra River in the south-west of the Ivory Coast. Close to the Kouya and the Niabwa, the making of their masks, as well as their function, have great similarities.

The Bété are divided into ninety-three ethnic groups ...

African polychrome mask offering a certain "cubist" structure. The center is carved with large eyelids placed obliquely, extended by a geometric nose and mouth. The lower part of the face continues in a very slightly concave flat tint. Deep colored grooves emphasize the volume of the skull and the flatness of the cheeks.
The term Kifwebe designates the mask, the society of masks, and the wearer of the mask belonging to the male secret society bwadi bwa kifwebe which ensured the social control. Matte polychrome patina, erosions. Cracks.
In the 16th century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle on the left bank of the Lualaba, in Katanga and Kasai. Very present in their society, divination made it possible to discover sorcerers and to shed light on the causes ...

Executed according to traditional criteria, these statues supposed to embody the ancestors frequently wear small wooden tenons as a bristling hairstyle, such as this massive figure established in a kneeling posture, projecting its bust forward. The flat face bears expressive features, including a hallucinated gaze evoking trance.
Erosions and abrasions, velvety matte patina. .
Crusty ocher matte patina, locally chipped. Cracks.


Despite their small number, the thirty thousand Mambila(or Mambilla, Mambere, Nor, Torbi, Lagubi, Tagbo, Tongbo, Bang, Ble, Juli, Bea)(the "< i>men" , in Fulani), settled in the northwest of Cameroon, created a large number of masks and statues easily identifiable by their heart-shaped faces. Although the Mambila believe in a creator god named ...

Tutelary femininity within African art Bambara, this sculpture of "little favourite", Nyeleni in Bambara, is soberly described, releasing a haughty and powerful altitude. The arms spread away from the body, extended by flattened hands, also give a particular dynamic. Lumpy greasy patina, cracks, erosions.
The Bambara of central and southern Mali belong to the large Mande group, like the Soninke and the Malinke. Large masked parties close the initiation rites of the dyo association and the gwan ritual of the Bambara in the south of the Bambara country. Spread over a period of seven years for men, they are less demanding for women. The new initiates then celebrate, in groups, from village to village, their symbolic rebirth. It is the sons of the blacksmiths who dance around these ...

Monoxyl piece in carved wood covered with a fabric of rabane sewn with pearls and cowries, symbolizing wealth. The juxtaposed colors enhance the volumes and figurative motifs associated with chieftaincy and its myths.

Located in the border region of Nigeria, the North West Province of Cameroon, Grassland is made up of several ethnic groups: Tikar, Anyang, Widekum, Chamba, Bamoun, or Bamum and Bamileke. Several centralized chiefdoms, or kingdoms, based on customary associations, secret societies, are organized around the Fon which has broad powers. Among the Bamilekes of Sudano-Bantu origin, as in other ethnic groups, art objects testified to their owner's place in society. The seats, the ornamentation of which varied according to social status, were carved for current ...

Monoxyl piece in carved wood covered with a fabric of rabane sewn with pearls and cowries, symbolizing wealth. The juxtaposed colors enhance the volumes and patterns, associated with chieftaincy.
A basic structure is carved in wood and then covered, above a canvas of rabane, with a lattice of imported pearls and cowry shells whose colors correspond to the different chiefdoms.

Located in the border region of Nigeria, the North West Province of Cameroon, Grassland is made up of several ethnic groups: Tikar, Anyang, Widekum, Chamba, Bamoun, or Bamum and Bamileke. Several centralized chiefdoms, or kingdoms, based on customary associations, secret societies, are organized around the Fon which has broad powers. Among the Bamilekes of Sudano-Bantu origin, as in other ...

Metal bracelets, rows of pearls, and scarified body motifs form the ornaments of this young OviMbundu woman, represented frontally. This statue could have been associated with female initiation, fertility, or even divinatory rituals, the hairstyle evoking that, fashioned with oil and red ocher, of young nyaneka girls at the continuation of the efuko ritual. Beautiful nuanced patina, desiccation cracks.
It is on the Benguela plateau in Angola that the Ovimbudu, Ovimbundu, have been established for several centuries, made up of farmers and breeders. Forming the largest ethnic group in Angola, they belong to Bantu speakers, such as Nyaneka, Handa, Nkhumbi, and other groups from the region of Huila, or Wila. Their statuary made in light wood is relatively limited.
Ref. : "Black ...

Pair of Berber pillars surmounted by T-shaped capitals. They are mounted on flat metal bases. Decorative patterns carved into the wood separate different sections. The surface is painted with traditional Amazigh motifs, arabesques and friezes. Use patina, desication cracks.
In the Sahara, the Tuareg-speaking Berbers live in the center and south, in Algeria, Libya, Niger, Chad, Mali, Nigeria and Burkina Faso, while the Arabic-speaking Moors are established in the western Sahara, in Mauritania, in Mali, and in western Algeria. They lead a nomadic life, raising goats, sheep and dromedaries ensuring their subsistence.
Similar copies in "African art from the Mack collection" ed. Hirmer (p. ...

Ample African mask wearing a cap, it displays large protruding eyes, a particularity of the Yoruba style. The surface is perforated with crosses coated in a burgundy red hue. Desication cracks. Chipped polychrome patina.
The Gelede country in Nigeria pays tribute to mothers, especially the oldest among them, whose powers are said to be comparable to those of the Yoruba gods, or orisa, and the ancestors, osi< /i> and which can be used for the benefit but also for the misfortune of society. In the latter case these women are named aje. Masked ceremonies, through performances using masks, costumes and dances, are meant to urge mothers to use their extraordinary qualities for peacemaking and constructive purposes, for the good of society. During rigorously organized ceremonies, each ...

The African art of the Byeri cult is illustrated by various anthropomorphic sculptures acting as "guardians" and embodying the ancestor.
A piriform face carried by a stretched morphology distinguishes this sculpture. The reduced arms, compressing the chest, form a block freeing the abdomen. Geometric legs extend from narrow bulbous hips. Shiny black patina. Erosions.
The boxes containing the relics of illustrious ancestors were guarded by the oldest man in the village, the "esa". Surmounted by a statue or a head that acted as guardian of the "byeri" boxes, they were stored in a dark corner of the hut, supposed to divert evil influences towards someone else. They were also used during initiation ceremonies for young people linked to the "So" society. During festivals, the ...

Carried by thick lower limbs, the narrowness of the bust framed by rounded arms here accentuates the volume of the torso. The spherical head with large ears, wearing a rounded crest, shows an expression of stupor. Semi-matt mottled patina, abrasions and loss, desication cracks.
It was during healing rites, or even divination of the origins of illnesses, that this sculpture played a major role for members of male Komtin society. The stocky morphology of the Montol statues comes in broad shoulders, a narrow bust, thick and reduced legs. The head is generally spherical, the features sketchy. The Montols kept the sculptures for community use in the "dodos", thatched-roof huts decorated with trophy skulls, where they were used in worship following ritual libations. Works of this type ...

In African art, the Bamiléké demonstrate their know-how through the use of multicolored beads.
This monoxyl seat, named rü mfo among the Bamum, Kuo koko for the Bamileke, presents human figurative motifs, associated with the chiefdom. A basic structure is carved in wood to then be covered, above a canvas of rabane, with a lattice of imported pearls and cowries, an old currency associated with wealth.
Lower zone unglued. < br />
Located in the border region of Nigeria, the North West Province of Cameroon, Grassland is made up of several ethnic groups: Tikar, Anyang, Widekum, Chamba, Bamoun, or Bamum and Bamileke. Several centralized chiefdoms, or kingdoms, based on customary associations, secret societies, are organized around the Fon which has broad ...

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Sculpted African figure, "Ségou" style, wearing the traditional bonnet. A balanced alternation of conical shapes linked by narrow sections distinguishes this statue resting on thick blocks representing the feet. Ravine surface, grainy areas, erosions.
The Bambara of central and southern Mali belong to the large Mande group, like the Soninke and the Malinke. Large masked parties close the initiation rites of the dyo association and the gwan ritual of the Bambara in the south of the Bambara country. Spread over a period of seven years for men, they are less demanding for women. The new initiates then celebrate, in groups, from village to village, their symbolic rebirth. It is the sons of the blacksmiths who dance around these statues that were placed outside the festivities ...

Statue of the "colon" type, whose squat anatomy is embellished with long movable arms. The round head wears a headdress dividing into two lobes, the sides of the face are notched with orifices arranged at regular intervals. Mat patina of use, particularly velvety. Desication cracks, erosions.
The Ibibios, people of West Africa mainly present in the south-east of Nigeria (State of Akwa Ibom), are also present in Ghana, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. Secret societies are numerous among the Ibibio settled west of the Cross River. Without a centralized government, their social organization is comparable to that of the neighboring Igbo. Ancestor worship is under the authority of the highest-ranking members of the Ekpo. The latter use masks such as the idiok, related to fallen spirits, ...

The chamba statuary presents a certain geometry reminiscent of the design of the works of the Mumuye, including a very particular morphology. Here, a columnar bust around which the relief of disproportionate arms is cut out in a diamond shape towards stocky, crenellated limbs. The head marked with parallel scarifications, on which a hat seems to rest in balance, sinks into the shoulders. The abdominal niche conceals imprints of seeds of abrus and remains of feathers.
Velvet red ocher patina. Desication crack, losses.
Installed since the 17th century on the south bank of the Benue in Nigeria, the Chamba have resisted the attempts of conquest by the Fulani, nomads who have settled in large numbers in northern Nigeria. They are known for their famous buffalo mask with its two ...

African art, the charms of lineages
State of African tribal art Yaka whose singularity lies in the trumpet nose, phallic symbol also associated with the elephant. These primitive African statues, which provided protection from enemies and were linked to fertility, were made according to the instructions of the Nganga ngoombu and the object's sponsor. This powerful object of tribal art was then activated using rituals and incantatory formulas. This statue with a golden patina comes from the vast collection of African tribal art of Mr. Guy Mercier, now deceased, consultant for the Solvay group, which began it at the beginning of the 20th century. While radiating in West and Central Africa as part of his work, and collecting in-situ works, the majority of his collection is nevertheless ...

Collection of African art P. Malisse.
Ancestor worship in the African art of the Mbede, Mbete, or Ambete

The cult of the ancestors, among the Mbete, is accompanied by these sculpted figures whose dorsal cavity frequently plays the role of a reliquary. This remarkable female statue, sculpted in wood then lined with metal sheets, has a flat face carved into a spherical head without a headdress. The morphology expresses vigor and stability. Attached to the swollen bust, the arms are bent at a right angle. The bending of the thick and muscular legs announces a ritual dance. Abraded black patina. Eroded feet.
The Mbete form a tribe of Gabon, on the border of the Middle Congo, neighboring the Obamba, whose history has been marked by a long-term conflict against the ...

Figurative animal mask, uncommon, representing the head of a mammal. Diamond patterns, based on natural pigments, are painted on the surface.
Matte patina of use, small chips.
The African art sculptures of the Bobo, Bwa, Kurumba and Mossi, living in Burkina Faso, frequently take up and combine stylized elements borrowed from men, animals or even insects. It is the spirits of nature who are believed to determine an individual's well-being and prosperity, and adversity will be seen as the result of neglect of collective rituals. It is therefore during different celebrations that the mask will personify a spirit of nature or that of an ancestor in order to influence the daily lives of members of the ethnic group. They appear to honor the deceased during funeral rites, and to ...

The chamba statuary has certain points in common with that of the Mumuye. This copy adopts a design offering the particularity of a curved bust, framed in height by short folded arms. The bust widens, extending hips in cylindrical relief. The legs are classically cut, stocky and semi-flexed. The simple-featured head is distinguished by a high crest and huge circular ears.
Slightly satiny reddish brown patina.
Installed since the 17th century on the south bank of the Benue in Nigeria, the Chamba have resisted the attempts of conquest by the Fulani, nomads who have settled in large numbers in northern Nigeria. They are known for their famous buffalo mask with its two flat jaws extending the head. The statuary, less frequent, is divided into figures of protection (tauwa, sing. tau) ...

Ex-French tribal art collection.
Statues Tabwa, traditional sculptures of prestige in African art.
The Luba dominated the Tabwa in the Lake Tanganyika region between Zaire and Zambia. "Tabwa" or " being attached" presumably refers to the system of slavery practiced in the past by Islamic merchants.
The Tabwa then regained their independence thanks to the wealth provided by the ivory trade. Just as the influence of Luba is noticeable in the societies and rites of the Tabwa , tanzanian tribes have also marked the statuary tabwa with regard to geometric decorative motifs.

Linear checkerboard scarifications run through the face and bust of this leader who is supposed to protect, according to François Neyt, the village from the sorcerers. Its headdress is also ...

This type of statue, among the wide variety of tribal production in this region, participated in ancestor worship, others played a role in traditional dowsing activities.
The flat face, facing the sky, is hollowed out with rectangular orifices depicting the mouth and the eyes. Arm stubs frame a thick bust, extended by powerful legs.
Matte abraded red patina, desication cracks, losses.
The Nyamwézi are made up of tribes of various origins making up the largest group in central Tanzania, and yet sharing the same cultural traits. They were involved in the 19th century in the caravan trade that crossed their territory, the Unyamwézi. They were therefore led to travel from the Congo (R.D.C.) to the coastal cities of the Indian Ocean, where they were called "Nyamwézi", ...