Standing female ancestral figure "hamba"

Description

wood, reddish brown patina, traces of camwood powder, the upper part of the body and the arms tightly sewn in thin cotton fabric which is saturated with mass, the narrow slit eyes filled with a row of tiny white glass beads, the disc-shaped flattened head crest provided with a deepening in the centre, a further opening for insertion of magical substances between the legs, the right foot inscribed backside: “FE9324”, slightly dam., minor missing parts (mouth, ears, breasts), crack (right side of the head), missing parts in the old decayed fabric, rep. (?) on the outside of the left foot, socle;
a male diviner commonly works in alliance with a powerful female ancestor, because Luena men acknowledge the superior abilities of women in the manipulation of the supernatural. Present female once assisted a male diviner in his battles against the harmful, evil or anti-social elements that threatened his community.

Publications