Female figure "mwana hiti"

Description

wood, dark brown patina, white string of glass beads, stool-like base with three feet, of typical form with “split” coiffure, eyes inset with white minature beads, min. dam., traces of insect caused damage, base;
the term “mwana hiti” relates to trunk figures common all over East Tanzania. Most famous are those of the Zaramo and the Kwere. Until the end of the 19th century their usage was multifunctional. They served as tips for staffs, tomb figures, stoppers for calabashes, ancestor figures, for decoration of combs and music instruments and finally as dolls for ritual purposes.