Tschokwe figure - Figura - Chokwe - Angola

A statue associated with therapeutic cult type Hamba , this Chokwe sculpture embodies a feminine tutelary spirit, which should be invoked in order to benefit from its favors associated with fertility or healing.
These figures were arranged around the altar muyombo, a tree at the foot of which sacrifices and offerings were once made. Sculptures such as figures made in sticks or poles (Mbunji or manji), planted in the ground, were also associated. The related ethnic groups had the same type of altar, a witness before which rituals, oaths and important transactions were concluded. (Source: Chokwe, B. Wastiau)
Represented standing half-bent legs, hands placed on her shoulders, she sports a bulging hairstyle like a helmet.

Provenance: Josef Herman, UK