Figure "okifa" · D. R. Congo, Mbole · ID: 3037491
Michel Beaujour, New York, USA
Description
wood, dark brown patina, remains of kaolin and yellow ochre, extremely slanting shoulders, two drillings at the back, min. dam., minor missing parts, traces of abrasion, base;
the religious and social life of the Mbole is controlled by the “lilwa” society. Death by hanging plays an important role in Mbole society. This penalty is applied to adulterers, evil sorcerers and members of the “lilwa” society who have betrayed the society’s secrets. These “okifa” (= “hanged”) called figures cannot be regarded as individual portraits. However, the motif of hanging is clearly shown. They were presented to the people who were going to be initiated in order to caution them and thus served as an emphatic warning against offences and betrayal of secrets.
The object Figure “okifa” with the object ID 3037491 was last part of the auction 78th tribal art auction at October 18, 2014 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 475 achieved a sales price of EUR 6,000.
You can find more Figures and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.
Comparing literature
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Lexikon Afrikanische Kunst und Kultur, München, Berlin 1994, p. 278