Protective figure "bateba duntundara" ·  Burkina Faso, Lobi · ID: 3048667

Description

wood, pigments, base

Female figures whose heads are conspicuously turned to the side and which also show the belly of a pregnant woman with a particularly emphasised navel are often part of a male-female pair of figures.

These figures belong to the group of “bateba duntundara”, which are supposed to protect their owners from witches and evil spirits.

“Duntundara” can be found in a broad range of representations, including figures that gesture dramatically or feature unusual physiological characteristics such as multiple heads or arms.

Comparing literature

LaGamma, Alisa, Art and Oracle, New York 2000, p. 61 f.