Standing male figure "lü mä" ·  Côte d'Ivoire, Dan · ID: 3044937

Description

wood, red, white pigment, metal, base

In the 1930s the ethnologist Donner was told about the “long ago” practice of a ritual, held sporadically at the time of a new moon. There would be great feasting, dancing, and music, and people would travel from nearby villages to participate in the festival. The festivities seemed to center around a ritual of annointing the figures with palm oil and decorating them about the eyes with kaolin. Apparently both practices were ways of showing respect and honouring the figures, but the precise meaning of the festival and the significance of the figures has been lost.

In any case, all objects portraying a human face were treated with special caution and care, for every representation of the human face meant contact with spirits and magical powers.