Standing female figure "mukuya" ·  D. R. Congo, Bembe · ID: 3038250

Description

wood, middle brown patina, black paint, eyes with white porcelain inlay, characteristic elongated trunk, richly adorned with skin scarifications in relief, opening (crypto fetish), slightly dam., cracks (disc-shaped base), base;
the opening on the back was used by the “nganga” to give vital force to the figure, afterwards it was filled with magical material: “bilongo” (medicine) or relics of an ancestor as a symbol of the power and spirit of the deceased relative. Afterwards the opening was closed by a piece of fabric or a plug. As long as the spirit stayed within the statue, it watched over his descendants and punished contempts against customs and rules.