Standing female figure "jo nyeleni"
Walter Schmidt, Würzburg/Innsbruck, Germany/Austria
Description
wood, brown patina, remains of pigments, broad body with massive shoulders and accentuated breasts, head with crested coiffure and C-shaped ears, min. dam., insect caused missing parts (left hand), traces of abrasion, base;
“jo nyeleni” figures depict the ideal of a young woman in the prime of life. They are used in a seven years term on the occasion of initiation celebrations of the “jo society”. Within a space of six or seven months the initiates (= “jodenw”) pass through seven strictly fixed levels. The “jo nyeleni” belong to the sixth step, “jo yaala” - the so-called “jo promenade”, at which the “jodenw” carry the figures from village to village, visit their brothers and sisters, venerate the graves of priests and those of “jodenw” who already have passed away, along the way they entertain the audience with music.
Publications
AHDRC: 0141945