Standing figure "iginga"

Description

heavy wood, reddish brown patina, black paint, crudely carved block-like body, large head with flat facial plane, slightly dam., cracks, abrasion of paint, base;
such wooden anthropomorphic figurines were part of initiation baskets “mutulwa”, which were mostly linked with the supreme initiation of “lutumbo lwa kindi”.The figurines represent an heterogenous set of characters illustrating positively and negatively the moral code of “bwami”. There is a special rite during which the baskets are opened in great secrecy. The objects are treated with white clay, sometimes also with red powder. After this rite, the contents of the baskets are revealed and explained to the initiand through song and dance.

Publications

AHDRC: 0142033