Standing female figure "mukuya"

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.