Zemanek-Münster

Figure of the "bwami" society

D. R. Congo, Lega
not available anymore
Provenance
André Navez, collected in situ in the 1960’s in Kivu province
Size
H: 12 cm
H: 4.7 inch

Description

ivory, black patina, red pigment, half figure, min. dam., fine cracks;
“iginga” (pl. “maginga”) figures are individually owned by the highest-ranking members of “bwami” society and are the most coveted of all initiation objects. The Lega consider “maginga” to have the strongest innate power, and they often use bits of the ivory scraped from these figures to mix in a drink intended for medicinal purpose.


Notices

This object is subject to CITES. Please note that it can only be sent within the European Union. At the present time export in third countries is prohibited, respectively, export licenses in third countries for objects containing or made of protected materials are only granted under stringent conditions.


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