Standing female figure "kambei" ·  Sierra Leone, Limba/Mende · ID: 3038255

Description

wood, matt shiny reddish brown patina, traces of black paint, overlong neck carved with rings, diamond-shaped skin scarifications on back and belly, grooved hairdo, slightly dam., missing parts (both foot tips), cracks (right side of the head, upper part of the body, back), abrasion of paint, base;
the Mende have an association called “njayei”, which keeps pairs of figures, male and female, known as “lomba” and “kambei” respectively. Such figures are said to represent both deceased members of the association and, in some sense, the associations ancestral spirits, possibly the original founders of the local chapter.

Comparing literature

Fagaly, William, Ancestors of Congo Square, New Orleans 2011, p. 96 f.