Janiform dance crest
Cameroon, Anyang/ Bangwa
sold
EUR 5,000
Provenance
Houben, Hans (1871-1942), Viersen/ Freiburg, GermanyLinden-Museum, Stuttgart, Germany
Henri Schouten, Amsterdam/Los Angeles, The Netherlands/USA (1977)
German Private Collection, Munich
Size
H: 23 cm
H: 9.1 inch
Description
wood, human hair, old collection label: “I. C. 33506 - West Afrika - Kamerun - Bangwa - südl. d. ob. Cross - Doppelmaske - Gesch. Oberleutnant v. Houben.”; inscribed: “33506 Bangwa von Houb.”
The dance crest was collected in situ by Hans Houben. For a few months in 1902/03, Houben was commander in chief of the German protection force for Cameroon in the Bangwa area.
The dance crest combines a female with a male face. Unfortunately present-day inhabitants of the Cross River region have long since fogotten the original meaning of the Janus-face symbolism.
But according to Kecskési it is an established fact that these crests belonged to the “ntsebe” society and were worn after military victories, and at burials of society members.