Figur d'un guerrier assis · Sierra Leone, Kissi · ID: 3051571
Luciano Lanfranchi, Milan, Italy
David Utzon-Frank, Copenhagen, Denmark
Description
soapstone, base
The figure shows a bearded warrior with twisted headband, equipped with shield and spear, surrounded by four smaller figures, presumably representing slain enemies. For a very similar figure, see AHDRC 0115137.
For generations, farmers in Sierra Leone and adjacent areas of Liberia and Guinea have unearthed small stone figures. They are generally attributed to the ancestors of the present-day Kissi and the vanished Sapi people. However, their creators and original function are repeatedly the subject of discussion. It is thought that the figures were commemorative, representing the regenerative force of an identifiable, honored ancestor or a recently deceased prominent person.
The found figures are reused in a variety of ritual contexts by peoples in the area. The Mende people and their neighbours believe the stone figures represent the previous landowners and make offerings to them to bring abundant harvest. The Kissi people for their part believe that they are manifestations of their deceased ancestors and place them in wooden anthropomorphic ancestor shrines. In some areas they are also used as oath-taking figures.
In any case all are examples of ritual recycling, as the stone figures have been repurposed for new needs.