Puppet figure · Tanzania, Sukuma · ID: 3048381
Zemanek-Münster, 4 September 2014, Lot 692
Bettina Rübesam, Munich, Germany
Description
wood, cowrie shells, nails, missing parts, base
These figures are said to have been traditionally used in initiation ceremonies.
According to Bessire, they are also said to have been used in Sukuma dance competitions. Two dance groups with large and small puppets (“mabinda” or “maleba”) perform simultaneously. The winner is the one who can attract the largest crowd with the spectacle.
The object Puppet figure with the object ID 3048381 was part of the auction 97th Auction on November 6, 2021. The object with the lot number 373 achieved a sales price of EUR 700 with an asking price of EUR 450.
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Comparing literature
Aimée Bessire: "At a Safe Distance: Sukuma Dance Figures and the Arousal of Spectacle", in: African Arts, Spring 2005
Publications
Schulte-Bahrenberg, Ralf (Hg.), Tansania, Glaube, Kult und Geisterwelt, Stuttgart 2007, p. 57, ill. 7