Standing janus figure "khosi" ·  D. R. Congo, Yaka · ID: 3034029

Description

wood, brown patina, polychrome paint, string of red glass beads, a male and a female figure, piercings in the area of the arms, arranged back to back with the bodies amalgamated, a massive neck supporting a big head with Yaka-typical faces and headgear, min. dam., cracks, small missing parts, traces of abrasion, on base;
these figures appear in different versions: free standing pairs, joined back to back or single statuettes with janus face. The magical mass is either sealed in the stomach portion or hang in pouches or antelope horn containers on the neck or the waist. The figures are kept within a special cabin in the compound of a headman or chief.

Comparing literature

Bourgeois, Arthur P., The Yaka and Suku, Leiden 1985, pl. XVIII