Tadep Mambila statue, DRC - Lot 74

Tadep Mambila statue, DRC Produced according to recurring canons, these statues supposedly embodying ancestors often feature small studs on the head as a headdress, such as this figure with horns. The head is classically tucked into the shoulders, the posture unusual, one hand turned towards the chest, while the second is brought to the chin. The massive crenellated legs reproduce the angular volume of the abdomen. Matt crusty patina, polychrome highlights. Erosions 41 x 14 cm Despite their small numbers, the thirty-thousand Mambila (or Mambilla, Mambere, Nor, Torbi, Lagubi, Tagbo, Tongbo, Bang, Ble, Juli, Bea) ("men" in Fulani) settled in north-west Cameroon have created a large number of masks and statues, easily identifiable by their heart-shaped faces. Although the Mambila believe in a creator god called Chang or Nama, they worship only their ancestors. Their chiefs were buried in granaries like wheat, as they were supposed to symbolize prosperity. Masks and statues were not to be seen by women.