Standing male figure "tadep"

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Description

wood, blackish brown patina, strongly encrusted in some areas, flat (presumably hollowed) head with coiffure from grass fibre, big deepening in the back (with remains of mass around the rim), sacrificial traces (feathers) at the belly, slightly dam., missing parts (both heels), rep. (left foot tip), fissure, abrasion of paint, base;
probably a ritual object connected with a healing association. The local name of such sculptures is “tadep”. Usually these were male-female pairs, carved of low-density wood (from the silk cotton tree, Ceiba pentandra). The “tadep” were stored in granaries, together with other paraphernalias.

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Comparing literature

Fagaly, William, Ancestors of Congo Square, New Orleans 2011, p. 238

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