Tomb stela with ancestor head

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Description

heavy wood, greyish brown patina, min. dam., missing parts, traces of insect caused damage, cracks, base.
The Bongo were a society of hunters and warriors. Success in hunt and combat awarded them with social prestige during lifetime. After their death tomb stelas were set up, as signs for their success in hunting, assuring that the hunter keeps the rank he gained during lifetime even in the hereafter. The conception of the stela-like sculptures as well as the area they were placed in, reminds of the sepultural conventions of the people from Madagascar, i. e. the Mahafaly and the Sakalava.

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Comparing literature

Scharf, Dieter (Hg.), Sehen lernen - Eine Sammlung afrikanischer Figuren, Köln 1999, p. 76, ill. 27

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Publications

AHDRC: 0150391

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