ITEM #:
4501
ETHNICITY:
Vai
ORIGIN:
Sierra Leone, Liberia.
PORO SOCIETY MASK:
The Poro is the secret society for men, responsible for initiating boys into manhood, This Poro Society Mask was used in initiating ceremonies by the Baga. -
ITEM #:
4501
ETHNICITY:
Vai
ORIGIN:
Sierra Leone, Liberia.
PORO SOCIETY MASK:
The Poro is the secret society for men, responsible for initiating boys into manhood, This Poro Society Mask was used in initiating ceremonies by the Baga.
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ITEM #:
5605
ETHNICITY:
Kuba.
ORIGIN:
Democratic Republic of Congo
KUBA BONGO MASK:
The Kuba Bongo mask is one of three in the hierarchy of Kuba royal Bushoong dynasty masks. -
ITEM #:
4036
ETHNICITY:
Songye
ORIGIN:
Democratic Republic of Congo
SONGYE KIFWEBE NKISI:
This Kifwebe style power figure (nkisi) was crafted by the Songye, Nkisi (singular) and Mankishi (plural), to resist wizardry and witchcraft.
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ITEM #:
5613
ETHNICITY:
Nyamwezi
ORIGIN:
Tanzania
NYAMWEZI ZITHER:
This Nyamwezi zither, or 5-string harp, comes from the largest ethnic groups in north-central Tanzania. -
ITEM #:
2645
ETHNICITY:
Mambila
ORIGIN:
Cameroon
MAMBILA TADEP FIGURE:
This Mambila Tadep figure comes from eastern Nigeria and western Cameroon. It serves as an abode for ancestral spirits and is normally kept on a family altar at a ritual experts hut (suaga). -
ITEM #:
4509
ETHNICITY:
Yoruba
ORIGIN:
Nigeria
YORUBA GELEDE MASK:
These somewhat idiosyncratic wooden headdresses used in Yoruba Gelede ritual dances balanced symmetry and proportion.. -
ITEM #:
4512
ETHNICITY:
Yoruba
ORIGIN:
Nigeria
YORUBA SHANGO DANCE WAND:
A Yoruba Shango dance wand like this was carried by devotees at the annual festival of Shango and on other ritual occasions. On this fine, the subject is carved as a suppliant female devotee of Shango, the Yoruba thunder deity.
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ITEM #:
5598
ETHNICITY:
Tabwa
ORIGIN:
Democratic Republic of Congo
TABWA MPUNDU FERTILITY DOLL:
Tabwa Mpundu dolls are associated with Tabwa fertility rituals. As in this case, they are usually half-torso wooden dolls carved with a zoomorphic upper body on a long finial base. -
ITEM #:
5608
ETHNICITY:
Senufo
ORIGIN:
Cote D'Ivoire
SENUFO HELMET MASK:
In traditional Africa, helmet masks like this Senufo Helmet Mask were used not only as protection but also to show status or rank. They were carved from wood, cast in bronze or woven and embellished with horns, symbolic forms, cloth, cowries, metal strips, and beads.. -
ITEM #:
5698
ETHNICITY:
Idoma
ORIGIN:
Nigeria
IDOMA 'ALUSI' FIGURE:
The present figure depicting one such 'divine being', also known as 'Alusi', clearly belongs, on the grounds of its stylistic features, to the southern settlement area of the Ibo (Onitsha region): This specimen is impressively antiquated with a weathered patina. The coiffure is an icon pattern of threaded hair braid common among West Africans. -
ITEM #:
2680
ETHNICITY:
Bena Lulua
ORIGIN:
Democratic Republic of Congo
BENA LULUA FIGURE:
A male Bena Lulua figure with a horn-surmounted domed head, a trance-like expression, a columnar neck, arms framing his body, thick, straight legs. The neck is adorned in interlocking low relief cicatrices, with random scarifications on the expansive forehead, face, and abdomen. -
ITEM #:
5564
ETHNICITY:
Toma
ORIGIN:
Guinea
TOMA LANDAI POST:
These posts relate to the often quite large, Toma masks, which represent the forest spirit known as Landai. -
ITEM #:
5560
ETHNICITY:
Bena Lulua
ORIGIN:
Democratic Republic of Congo
BENA LULUA FIGURE:
A Bena Lulua power figure, with a dual finial extension from the head, the hairstyle a departure from characteristic Lulua statuary, standing on two lumpy feet, heavy hips and full rounded buttocks, arms carved in openwork, hands resting on a protruding abdomen.
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ITEM #:
3342
ETHNICITY:
Makonde.
ORIGIN:
Tanzania.
MAKONDE MATERNITY FIGURE:
Of a large, irregular, shaped head with Makonde trade mark facial scarifications, this female Makonde maternity figure is believed to represent the common female ancestor, the life-force of the early Makonde households of matrilineal kinship but headed by men.
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ITEM #:
2165
ETHNICITY:
Turkana
ORIGIN:
Kenya
TURKANA HEADREST:
This headrest was carved by the Turkana from Kenya and was used to keep the head elevated when sleeping in order to preserve the elaborately woven coiffures. -
BAULE RAM MASK: Two ram heads, a smaller version above a larger one, carved in very high relief on a plank. The zoomorphic forms are carved with long, medial planes and slanted eyes, with long, ridged, spiraled, white painted horns.
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ITEM #:
5544
ETHNICITY:
Namji
ORIGIN:
Cameroon
NAMJI DOWAYO DOLL:
An old Namji Dowayo Doll from Cameroon. These Namji Dowayo, are fertility dolls , gifted to brides, and are belived to enhance the bride’s fertility. -
ITEM #:
2619
ETHNICITY:
BaKongo
ORIGIN:
Democratic Republic of Congo
BAKONGO NKISI FIGURE
BaKongo Nkisi serve many purposes, some are used in divination, many are used for healing, while others insure success in hunting, trade or sex. -
ITEM #:
2702
ETHNICITY:
Yaka
ORIGIN:
Democratic Republic of Congo
YAKA M'BWOOLO FETISH FIGURE
A Yaka M'Bwoolo Fetish figure, used by diviners in the healing and protection rituals that they held, also used by families and vliages to ward off evil. -
Sale!
ITEM #:
2489
ETHNICITY:
Yoruba
ORIGIN:
Nigeria
YORUBA IBEJI TWIN SET:
Ibeji are carved to represent a deceased child and must be cared for by the mother to appease the soul of that child.
