Standing female figure

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Description

wood, reddish brown patina, small remains of black paint (back), strong body with broad shoulders, bulky head and arms akimbo, incised tribal marks on face and body, female sexual characteristics accentuated, slightly dam., cracks, cut at the lower legs, block-like base;
standing female figure of the type once used in “mbudye” initiation rites to represent the myriad titles and officeholders in the Luba royal hierarchy. Each title is represented by a sculpture. So the sculptures serve as surrogates, familiarizing the initiate with “mbudye’s” structure.

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Comparing literature

Roberts, Mary Nooter, Memory, New York 1996, p. 121 f.

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