Standing female figure ·  Côte d'Ivoire, Guro · ID: 3034491

Description

wood, matt blackish patina, coiffure with pig-tail, in bow-shaped contour separated from the facial plane, the accentuated navel surrounded by cross-shaped scarifications, slightly dam. (nose, breasts), rep. (base), paint rubbed off, socle;
the Guro call figural sculptures “mi iri nä” - “small wooden persons”. They are not associated with the ancestral cult. As ritual objects they are rather displayed on special shrines, called “zuzu”. “Zuzu” are invisible spiritual beings, who are thought to be able to defend the crops and the house from evil spirits. The small wooden figures are mediators between the “zuzu” and the humans. Regularly they receive dishes with fresh cooked food in order to keep the spirits well-disposed.

Comparing literature

Homberger, Lorenz, Fischer, Eberhard, Die Kunst der Guro, Elfenbeinküste, Zürich 1985, p. 227 f.