Initiation rattle "ntafu mahangu" ·  R. D. Congo, Bakongo · ID: 3035977

Description

wood, brown patina, kaolin, a band of fabric wrapped around the figures waists with a glass stone inserted below, drilled hole in one of the figures, the actual rattle elements now missing, min. dam., cracks, missing parts through insect caused damage, slight traces of abrasion, base;
this rattle was an emblem for the initiation camps of young boys called “nkimba”. The back-to-back position stands for duality, refers to this world and the world of the spirits. The rattle was affixed on top of a vessel filled with water symbolizing the passage from the world of the living into the world of the dead.

Littérature comparée

Felix, Marc L. (ed.), Kongo Kingdom Art, China 2003, p. 107, ill. 2.7

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