Small standing figure ·  D. R. Congo, Lega · ID: 3037842

Description

ivory, shiny honey brown patina, closed contour with short legs and indicated arms, a nearly neckless head without facial features, min. dam., missing parts (back), cracks through age;
each member of “musagi wa kindi”, a lower sublevel of the highest “bwami” rank, owns a bone or ivory human figure from the “kalimbangoma” category as a sign of his status. This figure is placed in the care of its owners high-level “bwami” wife. She is responsible for bringing it to initiations and sometimes preparing it with oil.