Kwere Mwana Hiti Figure
Original price was: $249.00.$199.00Current price is: $199.00.
20% Off
In stock
In stock
ITEM #:
2630
ETHNICITY:
Kwere
ORIGIN:
Tanzania
KWERE MWANA HITI DOLL
This superb old Kwere Mwana Hiti”, (which translates to “wooden child” in Swahili), shows wonderful signs of age and use. These Mwana Hiti dolls were carved for young girls upon reaching puberty to teach them maternal instincts.
Details
ITEM #:
2630
ETHNICITY:
Kwere
ORIGIN:
Tanzania
MEDIUM:
Wood.
DIMENSIONS:
5″ Tall (12.3 cm)
CONDITION:
Good, Considering Age.
CIRCA:
Estimated early to mid 1900’s.
PROVENANCE:
Private Estate Collection – California, USA
CATALOGUE NOTE:
Created by the Kwere, known as “mwana hiti”, (which translates to “wooden child” in Swahili), these abstract figurines are liberally libated with offerings to charge them in their function as conduits to the spirits of paternal ancestors in the patrilineal clan.
Like the Mossi Roag Biga (doll child), these dolls were often carved for female children upon reaching puberty. As in Ndomo male rituals, girls are removed from the general population and quarantined in supervised isolation where her paternal aunts present her with a mwana hiti the prospective inductee is taught and to treat the doll like a real child. The doll is kept into early adulthood after which it is sometimes passed own to an inductees oldest daughter.
