Post figure "wundul" or "dumbun" ·  Nigeria, Wurkun · ID: 3038374

Description

wood, brown patina, min. dam., small missing parts through insect caused damage, slight traces of abrasion, base;
the Wurkun are well-known for their pairs of male-female figures on iron spikes. Their function is to ensure the well-being of the owner and his family, with a special orientation towards the fertility of the crops. In most cases they were set up in the fields outside the teepee-like structure made of a grass mat, with a large pot for sacrifices nearby. Others were established on shrines within the owner’s compound like the Chambas “tauwa” figures and, like them, were used for curing illness by divination.

The object Post figure “wundul” or “dumbun” with the object ID 3038374 was last part of the auction 79th Tribal Art Auction at March 21, 2015 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 290 achieved a sales price of EUR 350.

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Comparing literature

Wittmer, Marcilene K. & William Arnett, Three Rivers of Nigeria, Atlanta 1978, p. 88 f.