Fly whisk ·  Tanzanie, Zaramo · ID: 3037567

Description

wood, shiny brown patina, glass bead necklace, handle in form of small figure “mwana hiti”, animal tail fixed by cord and wire, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion;
the term “mwana hiti” relates to trunk figures common all over East Tanzania. Most famous are those of the Zaramo and Kwere. Up to end of the 19th century their usage was multifunctional. They served as tips for staffs, tomb figures, stoppers for calabashes, ancestor figures, for decoration of combs and music instruments and finally as dolls of ritual purpose.