Rare oracle figure "pom'kandya" or "pom'wama"
New York Private Collection
Bonhams, New York, 13 November 2007, Lot 2099
The Cobbs, Peterborough, USA,15 November 2015, Lot 173
Description
wood, fabric, animal skin, metal, fibres, magical accessories (wooden figure and brass bell), remains of resinous patina, base
This rare type of figure is called “pom’kandya” (“dressed pombo”) or “pom’wama” (“divining pombo”). It always shows the same structure of an anthropomorphic head on a ringed neck above a bell-shaped body, which serves as a container for ritual objects. Magical metal objects and often carved stone figures “pomdo” are inserted into a carved cavity. The cavity and its contents are enclosed in burlap cloth, which is wrapped and hand-sewn for closure. Over this the figure often wears a kind of poncho made of cloth.
The wooden figures and their precious contents were used for oath-taking and divination ceremonies, a practice that was observed in the early twentieth century but may date back centuries.
The carved stone figurines “pomdo” are excavation finds, such as those repeatedly unearthed in parts of Sierra Leone and Liberia by the local Kissi and Mende populations. According to Tagliaferri and Hammacher the Kissi claim that the carvings represent their forefathers and call the type of stones they find “pomtan”, “the dead” (sing. “pomdo”).
Comparing literature
Tagliaferri, Aldo & Arno Hammacher, Die steinernen Ahnen, Graz 1974, fig. 71 f.Publications
AHDRC: 0056341