Ancestor post "waga" or "waka" ·  Ethiopia, Konso/Gato, Kusuma style · ID: 3041616

Description

wood, greyish brown patina, red pigment, slightly bent natural form of the trunk recognizable, oval deepened face, high headdress, minor missing parts (mouth, eyes), surface strongly marked by weathering, traces of insect caused damage (backside and at the bottom), metal base;
the life of the Konso was governed by the “gada” society. Bravery and hunting were highly respected. Men who had killed an enemy or a dangerous wild animal were venerated as heroes. When a “hero” died, a group of carved figures were placed over his grave several weeks after his burial. This only occurred though if he was well-off and belonged to a higher “gada“ -level. A sculpture of the hero himself was at the centre of the group, surrounded by depictions of his wives and the enemies and animals he had killed. Stones were piled up in front of the group of figures, the number of which corresponded to the amount of land areas that the deceased possessed. The newly erected piles were decorated with flowers and a protective canopy was erected over the group of figures. As neither the roof nor the sculptures were looked after, the red ochre colour with which the figures were painted disappeared within a few years.

Littérature comparée

Phillips, Tom (Hg.), Afrika, Die Kunst eines Kontinents, Berlin 1996, p. 130