Janiform Teke statue Mpwau, DRC - Lot 150

Janiform Teke statue Mpwau, DRC The barrel-shaped bust of this Teke statue or biteke fetish, whose faces are surmounted by a large crescent returning to the foreheads, was hollowed out to house the mystical charge called "Bonga". A textile draped around the object, now missing, held the charge in its receptacle. 66 x 16 cm Settled between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon, the Téké were organized into chiefdoms, whose head was often chosen from among the blacksmiths. The head of the family, mfumu , had the right of life or death over his family, whose importance determined his prestige. The head of the clan, ngantsié , kept the great protective fetish tar mantsié , who supervised all ceremonies. It was the powerful sorcerer, healer and diviner who "charged" the individual statuettes or nkumi with magical elements, in exchange for payment. According to the Teke, wisdom was absorbed and stored in the abdomen. It was also according to the witchdoctor's directives that ancestors were worshipped. Their secret society, kidumu , used flat circular masks decorated with polychrome geometric motifs. Cracks, chips and erosion.