Breastplate of a pregnant woman "njorowe" ·  Mozambique, Makonde · ID: 3046548

Description

light wood, colour pigments, beeswax, insect caused damage, base

The initiation celebrations of the Makonde, which accompanied the entry into adult life, included feasts, dances and the performances of the “midimu” ghost dancers (sing. “ndimu”).

Female body masks were part of the clothing of a special “ndimu” mask dancer called “amwalindembo”, who was supposed to be a young pregnant woman.

The body masks were always worn by a male dancer masked with a matching female face mask. The “amwalindembo” performed a quiet dignified dance to demonstrate the pain of giving birth.

The object Breastplate of a pregnant woman “njorowe” with the object ID 3046548 was part of the auction 94th Tribal Art Auction on March 7, 2020. The object with the lot number 369 achieved a sales price of EUR 2,600 with an asking price of EUR 1,200.

Here you will find more objects and interesting facts about African art.

Comparing literature

Phillips, Tom (Hg.), Afrika, Die Kunst eines Kontinents, Berlin 1996, p. 175