Figure féminine magique "kaponya" ou "hamba" ·  Angola, Tchokwé / Lwena (Luena) · ID: 3047219

Description

wood, old collection label “3503”, base

According to Bastin, the term “kaponya” (pl. “tuponya”) is the generic name for a figurative sculpture. In order to become a “hamba”, a figure has to be consecrated by a ritual specialist or healer “mbuki”.

The term “hamba” in its primary interpretation refers to ancestor and nature spirits, sometimes called tutelary spirits, that mediate between God (“kalunga” or “nzambi”) and man.

Most “mahamba” (pl.) serve to protect hunters and assist with childbirth, essential responsibilities for men and women, respectively, and crucial for the survival of the group.

Littérature comparée

Petridis, Constantine, Art and Power in the Central African Savanna, Brussels 2008, p. 102