Ngata tribal fetish - DR Congo

In the heart of Central Africa, the Ngata (or Ntomba) number only a few thousand.
They are, however, known for their anthropomorphic coffins, which are equivalent to the sarcophagi of ancient Egypt, designed to hold the remains of high dignitaries. For lower-ranking individuals, these coffins come in the form of statues of more modest size, serving the same function as reliquaries: a trap at the back allows a fragment of the deceased's bone to be deposited.