Tribal Art

Object from northeastern Nigeria near Lake Chad, around Maiduguri, in the relatively inaccessible Borno state because it is controlled by armed Islamist groups. The dominant language is Kanuri.
It is a rare piece, associated with protective spirits, which was buried in the ground in order to preserve crops from animals or thieves. The Damosaka families, a very little known minority ethnic group in the region, had this type of ritual object. We have no information about them. The sculpture consists of a figurative and fairly detailed representation of a ram offering realistic proportions. Spongy-looking metal clusters remain on subject's back and between forelegs. A verdigris patina appears under an ocher brown film.

Ex-collection African tribal art French.
This fetish statuette is the result of cooperation between the nganga, the artisan and the client. Treated according to the indications of the ritual priest, the figure intended for the client is then loaded with the bishimba elements intended to counter any evil force. The head is studded with tapestry nails, a likely reference to the pox. In African culture, metal is endowed with magical, therapeutic and apotropaic properties. The physiognomy, which adopts the features of a middle-aged man, recalls both thekifwebe mask.
Satin black brown patina.
The fetish Songye , magical sculpture Nkisi , nkishi (pl. mankishi ) , plays the role of mediator between gods and men. The large specimens are the collective property ...

A fetish statue dependent on the Vodou cult, draped in a red textile loincloth, it has an umbilical forming the shutter handle that closes the reliquary in its bust. The top of the head is also hollowed out. The digitized legs and arms are spread, straight, and the quadrangular shoulders express power. The ovoid head with a flat face has simply engraved eyes and a gaping mouth. Beautiful light patina encrusted with white pigments.
Andeblis near the coast of West Africa, in the Couffo in Benin and in the Middle Mono in Togo around the former capital of the former kingdom of Tado, the small ethnic group Ada, Adan, or Adja, Aja, is mainly made up of peasants. The Ewe and Fons, from Tado, share traditions similar to those of their neighbors Ada.Au Togo, African fetishes are part of ...

The different types of African statues Luluwa, Lulua, or even Béna Lulua, with multiple scarifications, glorify local chiefs, motherhood, fertility and the female figure.
Fetishes were used to aid hunting, protection and healing. The use as a fetish of this squatting human sculpture, with an emaciated body, and bearing scarifications in relief, remains rare. Light brown satin patina.
br /> It is in the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo that the Lulua, or Béna Lulua, from West Africa, settled. . Their social structure, based on caste, is similar to that of the Luba. They produced few masks, but mostly statuettes of ancestors representing the ideal warrior, mulalenga wa nkashaama, as well as the leader of the Leopard society and statuettes mbulenga related to ...

Coll. Belgian African art.

The nganga, sorcerers but also healers, were in charge of religious activities and mediation towards the God called Nzambi through figures, mostly consecrated anthropomorphic tribal sculptures, called nkisi. These tribal statues, in this case a domestic idol, have a magical charge usually lodged on the abdomen behind a mirror blocking the cavity. This copy embodies a powerful character, wearing the headdress of the chef, with an aquiline nose and eyes with dark pupils, loaded with a bag in which were introduced the magic charge or therapeutic ingredients named bilongo . Clear patien, abrasions.
Shez the Kongo, nganga took care of the rituals by activating a spiritual force with a nkondi (pl. nkissi). The term nkisi was then used to refer to the ...

Ex-collection Belgian tribal art.
This statuette is the result of cooperation between the nganga, the sculptor and the client. Sculpted according to the instructions of the ritual priest, the figure intended for the client is then encased with the elements bishimba intended to counter any evil force. In the case of the ci-versus fetish, the abdomen was hollowed out. The horns remain in number of three, of various sizes, an orifice is filled with textiles. The face is studded with upholstery nails. In African culture, metal has magical, therapeutic and apotropaic properties. The face that adopts the features of a middle-aged man recalls both the kifwebe mask. Dark satin patina.
The fetish Songye , magical sculpture Nkisi , nkishi (pl. mankishi ), plays the role of mediator ...

Ex-collection Belgian tribal art.
Called boli (pl. boliw), buffle, in African art, this fetish of varying size plays a central role in the ritual life of the Mandingo region. There are pocket "Boliw", and others that belong to chiefdoms, initiation societies such as the male initiation associations Kono and Komo whose members progress through a process spanning several decades, and even to Etats.La main function of a boli is to accumulate and control the natural life force called nyama for the spiritual benefit of the community. Used as altars or performed during dance performances, they are creations designed from revelations miraculously tuned to the geniuses of the bush and transmitted to the soothsayers, using active amalgams from nature and, or organic: daliluw . Animal bones, ...

The personal protection figures kakudjis, used by the Hemba, the Kusu and the Kasongos, were inspired by Songye fetishes. The latter, free of magic charge, is carved in a rudimentary way, its slight asymmetry giving it a particular charm.
Glossy golden patina. Gaps and cracks.
The Kusu established on the left bank of the Lualaba have borrowed the artistic traditions of the Luba and the Hemba and have a caste system similar to that Luba . The Kasongos form a Kusu sub-group, now scattered among the Luba, Songye and Hemba. The singiti statues were kept by the fumu mwalo and honored during ceremonies during which sacrifices were offered to them. Alongside the authority of the hereditary chiefs, secret societies, masculine such as the bukazanzi, and feminine, the bukibilo, ...

Carved in dense wood, the magic charge lodged in the summit horn, this traditional African fetish offers two opposite faces reproducing the African mask kifwebe. Although this statue has unusual details, its structure characterizes classical Songye sculpture.
Glossy dark patina. Desication cracks.
The fetish Songye, magic sculpture Nkisi, nkishi (pl. mankishi), plays the role of mediator between gods and men. The large specimens are the collective property of an entire village, the more modest figures reserved for individual or family use.
In the 16th century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle in Kasai, Katanga and South Kivu. Their society is organized in a patriarchal way. Their history is inseparable from that of the Luba, to whom they are ...

Female African statuette, without arms, with a bust sheathed in animal skin into which horns have been slipped. The top of the head is perforated for a ritual charge. These statuettes would relate to the ancestors.

In the southern coastal region of Tanzania, around Dar-es-Salaam, a relatively homogeneous group produced most of the artistic productions. It includes the Swahili, Kaguru, Doé, Kwéré, Luguru, Zaramo, Kami. The second region is made up of a territory covering southern Tanzania to Mozambique, where some Makonde and the Yao, the Ngindo, Mwéra, and Makua live. In the North-East of Tanzania, the Chaga, Paré, Chamba, Zigua, Massaï, Iraqw, Gogo, and Héhé have an artistic production presenting similarities with Malagasy and Batak art, which could be explained by ...

Originally from Shaba in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Songye are related to the Luba with whom they share common ancestors. This large fetish is devoid of its ventral charge bishimba and has for only ornaments, specificities of Songye statuary, an animal horn introduced at the top, and metal slats and nails on the face, reference probable to the ravages of the pox. The ears, hollowed out, are also symbolically filled with tufts of hair.
The Kuba did not produce fetishes, they obtained them from their Songye neighbors, who were considered experts in the field. Rods or iron hooks were introduced under the arms in order to move them. These protective fetishes with magical charges are called nkisi and play in African culture the role of mediator between gods and men. The ...

Carved from a single block of carefully selected wood, equipped with its multiple accessories and ritual talismans consecrated by the nganga, this fetish sculpture presents a fascinating face reproducing the kifwebe mask of the Bwadi ka bifwebe society. . The bishimba magic charge, intended for protection, is generally lodged in the abdomen and in the summit horn. Reptile skin covers the head and forms the loincloth of the statue.
The fetish Songye, magic sculpture Nkisi, nkishi (pl. mankishi), plays the role of mediator between gods and men. The large specimens are the collective property of an entire village, while the smaller figures belong to an individual or a family. In the 16th century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle in Kasai, Katanga and South ...

This clan ancestor figure is brought in to contain the mystical charge called Bonga. It was then wrapped in a textile that was to hold the load in its receptacle. The face is streaked with traditional scarifications. The clan leader had this type of sculpture adorning an altar. Brilliant cracked patina. Desication cracks.
Andeblis between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon, the Téké were organized into chiefdoms whose leader was often chosen from among the blacksmiths. The head of the family, mfumu , had the right to life or death over his family, whose importance determined his prestige. The clan leader, ngantsed , kept the great protective fetish tring hated who oversaw all the ceremonies. It was the mighty sorcerer and soothsayer who charged magical elements, for ...

This statuette is the result of the cooperation between the nganga, the sculptor and the client. Sculpted according to the instructions of the ritual priest, the figure intended for the client is then charged with the bishimba elements intended to counter any evil force. The face is plated with copper slats. In African culture, metal has magical, therapeutic and apotropaic properties. Ritual ingredients were also introduced into the abdomen (bishimba) into the horn, sometimes also in pouches attached to the loincloth, in order to strengthen the power of the object. Textiles, feathers and necklaces were also necessary attributes to guard against witchcraft. The face of the man is both reminiscent of the kifwebe mask. The volumes bounded by sharp angles lend a robust appearance to the ...

Dogon altar, made of a mass of clay in which miniature irons and ladders are stuck. Piece collected in the mid-20th century by Monsieur Arnaud, accompanying Alain Bilot, renowned collector of Dogon art during study trips to Mali. These objects decorated the niches of the Ginnas. ("Dogon" H.Blom , p.234) The Dogon blacksmiths form an endogamous caste among the Dogon called irim. Today they produce weapons, tools, and also work with wood. "Masters of fire" associated in Dogon cosmogony with the primordial beings "Nommo" created by the god Ama, they are also supposed to cure burns. Small metal objects, made using the lost ...

Consecrated by the nganga, equipped with symbolic accessories and talismans placed between the metal elements, this statuette meets the criteria of nksi objects. The Vili produced a variety of carvings for individual use nkisi, to which multiple virtues were attributed.
The Vili , the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembe, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo formed the Kôngo group, led by King ntotela . With the same beliefs and traditions, their statuary is endowed with a codified gesture in relation to their vision of the world. Present along the Gabonese coast, the Vili broke away from the Kongo kingdom in the 16th century and the Loango kingdom became a powerful state. The nganga sorcerers, both healers, were in charge of religious activities and mediation towards the God ...

Called boli ( pl. boliw ), buffalo, in African art, this fetish of varying size plays a central role in the ritual life of the Mandingo region. There are pocket "Boliw", and others that belong to chieftaincies, initiation societies such as the Kono and Komo male initiation associations whose members progress through a process spanning decades, and even states.
The main function of a boli is to accumulate and control the natural life force called nyama for the spiritual benefit of the community . Used as altars or performed during dance performances , they are creations conceived from revelations miraculously granted to the bush genies and transmitted to the diviners , employing active amalgams from nature and , or organic : daliluw. Animal bones, plant materials, honey and ...

African Kongo art and its spiritual receptacles
This village fetish relating to the khimba society, has, in Kongo tribal culture, a protective function against witchcraft. This tribal sculpture studded with nails is qualified as a "nkisi" object thanks to the cylindrical receptacle on the abdomen loaded with "bilongo" magical ingredients (organic and vegetable matter). It is closed by a mirror on which a resin has been applied. The glazed look constituting the famous Kongo look suggests an extralucid capacity.

Matt patina, polychrome highlights, cracks. In the 13th century, the Kongo people, led by their king Ne Kongo, settled in a region at the crossroads between the present-day DRC, Angola and Gabon. Two centuries later, the Portuguese came into contact with ...

African sculpture equipped with a glazed receptacle for ingredients for therapeutic or prophylactic purposes. A bag, on the back, is tied around the bust as well as two small bundles along the arms. The gaze refers to mediumistic capacities. Figure sometimes illustrating a proverb, the character is represented here perched on a zoomorphic figure emblematic of specific clans, in this case a turtle.
Erosions, lacks and desication cracks.
The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembe, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo constituted the Kôngo group, led by King ntotela. Their kingdom reached its peak in the 16th century with the trade in ivory, copper and the slave trade. With the same beliefs and traditions, they produced a statuary endowed with a codified gesture in ...

African fetish Nkisi, nkishi (pl. mankishi ) whose top horn, inserted by the point, is blocked by a cushion made of fabric. In the hollowed-out umbilicus was also lodged a magic charge bishimba. The bulbous face is pierced with cowrie shells, and the treatment of the fingers recalls that of the beard.
Dark brown satin patina. Lacks.
These protective fetishes for homes are among the most popular in Africa. The Nkisi plays the role of mediator between gods and men. The large specimens are the collective property of an entire village, while the smaller figures belong to an individual or a family. In the 16th century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle on the left bank of the Lualaba. Their society is organized in a patriarchal way. Their history is ...

Ample head with the features of the kifwebe mask for this work sculpted by the Songye, dedicated to a traditional magical use. This large fetish was individualized by the nganga for his client through symbolic and ritual elements in the form of metal, animal skin skirt, belt forming a braided raffia coil, and summit horn.
Misses, velvety matt patina, cracks.
These protection fetishes intended for dwellings come in a variety of styles in the many chiefdoms of Songye country. The Nkisi, Nkishi, acts as a mediator between gods and men. The large specimens are the collective property of an entire village, the smaller figures being of private use.
In the 16th century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle on the left bank of the Lualaba. Their society is ...