Zande Yanda statuette, DRC - Lot 52

Zande Yanda statuette, DRC There are two types of Azande statues in African art: Kudu statues, 30 to 50 cm high, representing ancestors, and Yanda statues, 10 to 20 cm high, in animal or human form, with an apotropaic role, exhibited during divinatory rites in the rituals of Mani society. Small female figure standing on sturdy crenellated legs, with a slender bust framed by rounded arms. The deep-set pupils are tucked under horizontal eyebrows, and the mouth is simply hollowed out to form a slight rictus. The figure wears a toque-type cap. Dark glossy patina revealing the wood grain. 23 x 5 cm Formerly known as "Niam-Niam" because they were considered anthropophagous, the tribes known as Zande and Azandé settled on the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire), Sudan and the Central African Republic from Chad. According to their beliefs, man is endowed with two souls, one of which transforms into the animal-totem of the clan to which he belongs on his death. The name of their ethnic group means "those who possess much land", an allusion to their warrior past originating in Sudan. Yanda statuettes were displayed at divination sessions, during which the head of the society coated them with paste and blew smoke onto them. The Zandé also used poison oracles in many circumstances, and had a secret language. Ref: "Ubangi" J.L. Grootaers. Fonds Mercator.