Standing female figure
Description
wood, partly shiny dark brown patina, slender high-towering body, incised scarifications on body and face, “split” crested coiffure, rep. (breakage at the left leg fixed by leather cuff, further breakage at the right leg), small missing part (left foot tip), cracks, slight traces of abrasion, base;
in contrast to masks, which are used by the “tengabisi” in family religious ceremonies, figures are used by the “nakomsé” in a political context, as visual affirmations of the “nam” or the right to rule of the “naba”. Some figures are used for a short period for the burial of chiefs, and are destroyed, while others receive annual sacrifices to royal ancestors. When exposed to public view in “nakomsé” year-end ancestral sacrifices, figures invariably wear a small cloth wrapper that covers the lower part of the body and thighs in imitation of traditional womens dress. Figures in collections outside Africa are unclothed. During the remaining months, figures are stored in the “kimse roogo”, in the hut of the chief’s senior wife.