The Delenne’s stumbled upon this group of seven anthropomorphic figurines (2010.437–43) in an antiques shop in Nice during a holiday in the south of France in 1961. The carvings carry paperboard labels with inscriptions in French that indicate their ethnic and geographic provenance as well as some other details. Stemming from the Kongo region in West Central Africa, these seven sculptures feature a variety of gestures and poses, the use of mirror or glass for the eyes, and a red-white-black color scheme. They belong to the broad category of <em>minkisi</em> (singular <em>nkisi</em>), containers for medicines in which an ancestral spirit was believed to reside. Two of the group are minkisi of the <em>nduda</em> type, characterized by the attached "guns" loaded with gunpowder and used to shoot witches.

Figurine https://clevelandart.org/art/2010.441

Typically such an ornament was worn by a woman in conjunction with other beadwork in complementary color schemes. In addition to making her own beadwork, however, a woman would also produce her husband’s beadwork and, before marriage, the beadwork worn by the young man courting her. Before the introduction of glass beads by European traders, southern African communities acquired beads of Indian manufacture from Arab traders.

Neck Ornament https://clevelandart.org/art/2010.207

Eshu Dance Staff

Eshu Dance Staff https://clevelandart.org/art/2018.34

An infertile woman would be advised by a priest to commission such a sculpture and care for it as if it were her baby. With the aim to induce fertility, or to ensure the birth of a healthy and beautiful daughter, the akua'ba figure is carried on the woman's back inside her wrapper. After a successful birth, the figure is placed in the priest's shrine as an offering, or it is given to the newborn as a toy.

Female Figure https://clevelandart.org/art/1975.158

Head

Head https://clevelandart.org/art/1975.157

The substances contained in its cloth-covered cranial cavity indicate that this half-figure belongs to the broad category of charms or "power objects" that the Luba call mankishi. It was used by a ritual expert and functioned in a variety of rituals dealing with healing, protection, divination, or jurisdiction. Often such power figures were carved by the ritual experts rather than by professional artists.

Half-Figure https://clevelandart.org/art/1974.212

The Delennes stumbled upon this group of seven anthropomorphic figurines (2010.437-443) in an antiques shop in Nice during a holiday in the south of France in 1961. The carvings carry paperboard labels with inscriptions in French that indicate their ethnic and geographic provenance as well as some other details. Stemming from the Kongo region in West Central Africa, these seven sculptures feature a variety of gestures and poses; the use of mirror or glass for the eyes; and a red-white-black color scheme. They belong to the broad category of minkisi (sing. nkisi), containers for medicines in which an ancestral spirit was believed to reside. Two of the group are minkisi of the nduda type, characterized by the attached "guns" loaded with gunpowder and used to shoot witches.

Figurine https://clevelandart.org/art/2010.437

Baule figures carved as pairs usually represent untamed spirits of the wilderness called <em>asye usu.</em> These spirits may intervene in the lives of individuals by taking possession of them. If this possession does not result in madness, it can lead to the human host’s becoming a diviner who can enter into a trance to reveal the causes of ailments and other misfortunes. People who feel their lives are being interrupted by the asye usu commission carvings representing idealized male and female forms whose grace and beauty in both anatomy and adornment will seduce the spirits and compel them to use the sculptures as their temporary homes.

Figure Pair https://clevelandart.org/art/1971.297

The most varied group of soapstone figures and heads has been found in the homelands of the Kissi. Calling them pomda ("images of the dead"), the Kissi placed them in ancestral shrines, offering them the last seeds at sowing times and the first fruits of the harvest. However, the sculptures are believed to have been made centuries ago by the ancestors of the Kissi, the so-called Sapi people.

Figure https://clevelandart.org/art/1976.29

The name Senufo covers a complex network of more than 30 different language and dialect groups. The male Poro society and its female counterpart, Tyekpa, constitute the main contexts for art production and use. Among the Fodonon Senufo subgroup, mother-and-child figures play a role in funerary ceremonies organized by the Tyekpa association in which they are carried on the participating women’s heads. However, among the Central Senufo, similar female figures are used as stationary display sculpture for the male Poro society. In the context of the Poro and its female counterpart, mother-and-child figures probably refer to "Ancient Mother," the central deity of the Poro initiation cycle. She is responsible for the protection and instruction of the initiates, her "children," nursing them with the milk of knowledge and thus transforming them into perfect human beings.

Mother-and-Child Figure https://clevelandart.org/art/1961.198

Side-Blown Trumpet

Side-Blown Trumpet https://clevelandart.org/art/1998.93

Baule figures carved as pairs usually represent untamed spirits of the wilderness called <em>asye usu.</em> These spirits may intervene in the lives of individuals by taking possession of them. If this possession does not result in madness, it can lead to the human host’s becoming a diviner who can enter into a trance to reveal the causes of ailments and other misfortunes. People who feel their lives are being interrupted by the asye usu commission carvings representing idealized male and female forms whose grace and beauty in both anatomy and adornment will seduce the spirits and compel them to use the sculptures as their temporary homes.

Figure Pair https://clevelandart.org/art/1971.297

The Ubangi region's history of successive migrations and assimilations has resulted in numerous exchanges of religious beliefs and ritual practices. Because little research has been conducted in the region, data regarding the production, use, and meaning of Ubangi sculpture are scant. Despite some stylistic traits, including the heart-shaped faces and the male's crested coiffure, this figure pair is unlike any other in the Ubangian corpus. Based on indirect evidence, the pair has been attributed to the little-known Monzombo and is said to represent the culture's primordial couple. However, no other sculptures have been ascribed to the Monzombo, and we lack further details on their art.

Figure of a Pair https://clevelandart.org/art/2010.460.1

The Luba kingdom flourished from about the 17th century to the late 19th century. The best-known Luba object types relate to ideas of kingship and the kingdom's ceremonial and ritual life. Staffs are among the most important Luba regalia. During the investiture ritual, the new ruler holds the staff when he swears his oath of office. Aside from being a symbol of rank and high office, a staff also serves as a historical document and archive that can be "read" like a sculptural map, memorializing important events, places, and people. The rendering of women points to their political and religious significance in history and society; although Luba rulers were always male, their mothers, wives, and sisters acted as advisors and diplomats behind the scenes. On this particular staff, the Janus heads and female figures probably represent one of the many Luba tutelary spirit pairs. The metal point alludes to the kingdom's stability and durability.

Staff of Office https://clevelandart.org/art/2004.85

Snuff Container

Snuff Container https://clevelandart.org/art/2010.202

An artistic melting pot, the Bondoukou region in northeastern Ivory Coast near the border with Ghana, is inhabited by several ethnic groups whose cultures often intermingle. This figure's rounded shapes and delicate surface decoration--which seem to imitate body scarifications--closely resemble the style of Baule carvings. The figure's meaning and function remain a mystery.

Female Figure https://clevelandart.org/art/1972.343

Although this pair has been attributed to the Ngbandi, many of the style characteristics identified as typical of that culture are in fact shared with its neighbors the Ngbaka-Minagende, among others. Carving of paired figures is quite well documented among the Ngbaka-Minagende, where such sculptures are said to represent the mythical ancestor Seto and his sister-wife, Nabo. But the field-based research cannot confirm the existence of figurative couples among the Ngbandi. Were all such Ngbandi-style couples created by Ngbandi artists for a neighboring Ngbaka-Minagende community or another Ubgandi group? Or do they instead refer to a more localized tradition that was never documented by foreign observers?

Female Figure of a Pair https://clevelandart.org/art/2010.459.2

Among the Kongo peoples of west-central Africa, traditional village chiefs and rulers hold authority over political, judicial and economic spheres. They are also ritual leaders, expected to intercede with spirits and ancestors to maintain the well-being of the community. The chief's power is manifested through a variety of powerful implements, including fly whisks, execution swords, and ivory scepters. Among the most important symbols of a chief's authority is the cap. Power is transferred to the new chief along with the cap of his predecessor. In fact, the village leader's title means "Chief of the Cap." Crafted with a complex combination of looping and knotting, this cap formed part of a high-ranking chief's regalia, as indicated by its height and elaborate patterning. The presence of leopard claws on the crown confirms the high status of its owner, for the leopard is considered to be the ruler of the animal realm.

Hat https://clevelandart.org/art/1997.180

The life of Lega men and women is structured around their advancement through the different grades of the Bwami association. Fulfilling political, social, religious, and other roles, the members’ ultimate purpose is the pursuit of wisdom and excellence. Ivory figurines were reserved for members of the two highest Bwami grades, in which the core of the Lega’s moral philosophy is revealed.

Figurine https://clevelandart.org/art/2005.3

Hair Ornament

Hair Ornament https://clevelandart.org/art/1915.500

Male Figure

Male Figure https://clevelandart.org/art/2008.59

When wild game was still plentiful in the region, real animal claws would have been used to punctuate beaded prestige necklaces. Lion-claw necklaces were the exclusive property of royalty while the bone imitations were owned and worn by high-ranking individuals of lesser status. Large red glass beads were also reserved for the Nguni elite in the period before the destruction of the Zulu kingdom in 1879.

Necklace https://clevelandart.org/art/2010.231

Figures like this would have been used in rituals by the ancestors of the present-day inhabitants of the Inland Niger Delta. Representing the gods and kings or queens associated with the region’s former residents, the figures received prayers and offerings in exchange for their support. The seated position of this male has been interpreted as a harmful pose intended to bring death to an individual.

Male Figure https://clevelandart.org/art/1985.199

Although this pair has been attributed to the Ngbandi, many of the style characteristics identified as typical of that culture are in fact shared with its neighbors the Ngbaka- Minagende, among others. Carving of paired figures is quite well documented among the Ngbaka-Minagende, where such sculptures are said to represent the mythical ancestor Seto and his sister-wife, Nabo. But field-based research cannot confirm the existence of figurative couples among the Ngbandi. Were all such Ngbandi-style couples created by Ngbandi artists for a neighboring Ngbaka-Minagende community or another Ubangi group? Or do they instead refer to a more localized tradition that was never documented by foreign observers?

Pair of Figures https://clevelandart.org/art/2010.459

Castings in brass or bronze depicting a female and male joined by a chain are one of the primary symbols of membership in the powerful Oshugbo/Ogboni society. This council of male and female elders selected rulers and decided all important judicial matters among the Yoruba. The paired figures symbolically refer to the society's membership and their communal decisions, as well as all women and men of the community, and the original founding couple.

Figure Pair https://clevelandart.org/art/1996.402

Throwing Knife

Throwing Knife https://clevelandart.org/art/1929.333

An infertile woman would be advised by a priest to commission such a sculpture and care for it as if it were her baby. With the aim to induce fertility, or to ensure the birth of a healthy and beautiful daughter, the akua'ba figure is carried on the woman's back inside her wrapper. After a successful birth, the figure is placed in the priest's shrine as an offering, or it is given to the newborn as a toy.

Female Figure https://clevelandart.org/art/1975.158

Although probably a fragment of a nearly life-size male seated figure, this head is remarkably well preserved. The Nok terracottas may have been part of a shrine or temple or were placed on a tomb. The identities of the portrayed figures remain unknown, but the adornments and elaborate hairstyles and headdresses seem to indicate that they represent notables or leaders.

Head https://clevelandart.org/art/1995.21

Used by male chiefs, ivory scepters were both symbols of status that indicated worldly authority and religious emblems that suggested supernatural influence. In Yombe society until the early 1900s, the aggressive side of a chief’s authority was dramatized in spectacular public executions. These scepters depict a chief enthroned on the bound body of a criminal destined for such a death. The use of ivory implies that the chief has the fatal power of an elephant. His hairstyle most likely derives from that worn by Portuguese sailors, and he chews a bitter root locally known as <em>munkwisa,</em> administered to persons suspected of witchcraft. A package of various medicines mixed with a resinous material would have been enclosed within the container extending from the figure’s head. Thus charged with potent ingredients, the scepters endowed their owners with specific supernatural powers.

Scepter https://clevelandart.org/art/2010.447

Snuff containers made out of a gourd--the hard shell of the fruit of the Oncoba spinosa tree--and decorated with wirework were widespread in southern Africa. The shape and material of gourd snuff containers suggest they would have been made for female users. Like a woman’s womb, the gourd contains and nurtures the seed. Thus, the materials and the forms of snuff containers allude to procreation and fecundity.

Snuff Container https://clevelandart.org/art/2010.200