Puppet figure

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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.

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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

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Publications

Schulte-Bahrenberg, Ralf (Hg.), Tansania, Glaube, Kult und Geisterwelt, Stuttgart 2007, p. 57, ill. 7

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