Initiation rattle "ntafu mahangu"

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Description

wood, spotty, slightly encrusted patina, carved with two figures arranged back-to-back, dam., missing parts (right arm), traces of insect caused damage, traces of abrasion;
this rattle was an emblem for the initiation camps of young boys called “nkimba”. The back-to-back position stands for duality, refers to this world and the world of the spirits. The rattle was affixed on top of a vessel filled with water symbolizing the passage from the world of the living into the world of the dead.

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Comparing literature

Felix, Marc L. (ed.), Kongo Kingdom Art, China 2003, p. 107, cat. 2,7

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