Mambila fetish, Cameroon - Lot 193

Mambila fetish, Cameroon An ovoid head with exhorbated eyes engulfed in a squat bust, hands joined in front of the bust. This African sculpture of a chubby little figure, which doesn't conform to traditional canons, was nevertheless collected in Cameroon in 1984. Straw covers the back cavity, into which therapeutic or magical ingredients were probably introduced. Made of wood, it is completely covered by a thick, crusty, cracked patina. 40 x 15 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 on either side of the Cameroon-Nigeria border, 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. The Mambila are farmers, growing mainly coffee. Their masks and statues were not to be seen by women.