Power figure "mu' po" ·  Cameroon Grassfields, Bamileke · ID: 3052437

Description

wood,

The functions of these figures are manifold.

They are primarily regarded as tools of the diviners and are able to pass on both past and future knowledge.

The figures are rubbed with medicine and pastes by ritual experts to magically recharge them. Some of the objects have a cavity on the side of the body, back, neck or head that were filled with magic substances and medicines. In particular, these magically charged figures then served to protect the bearers and dancers of the kun‘gan society and to ward off strangers.

Also in the context of healing, such „power figures“ were used by ritualists.
The figures are representative of the healers‘ patients, while the patients are treated at a distance.

A typical feature is the figures’ pronounced round belly, which can be associated with pregnancy and fertility. Accordingly, they were placed in the homes of pregnant women, where they were supposed to ensure a successful birth. In addition to this interpretation we also find that the figures are placed on fields to guarantee the fertility of the country.

The often, crusty surfaces indicate sacrifices and long-term ritual handling of the objects. Gebauer describes that even in the 1930s the elders regarded these objects with greatest respect.

Comparing literature

Harter, Pierre, Arts anciens du Cameroun, Arnouville 1986, p. 269

Publications

Zemanek, David, Crossing Cultures: Monumental Miniatures - Kleinplastik, New York 2025, p. 56 f.

AHDRC: 0222019

Exhibition

Crossing Cultures: Monumental Miniatures - Kleinplastik, New York 28 May - 1 June 2025