Title:
Male Fetish Figure
Object Name:
Figure, Fetish
Other Name:
Figure, Fetish, Male
Place of Origin:
Yaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo / Angola, Africa
Provenance:
Aboriginal Indigenous Art.
H = 15"
W = 7"
D = 4"
Yaka statues have common characteristics — an upturned nose and applied pigments. The majority of Yaka figures were carved in pairs and were associated with Mbwoolo shrines. Their abdomen are usually hollow, enabling the insertion of fetish material and they are also adorned with bundles of paraphernalia. Yaka figures are multi—functional and sometimes have contradictory roles, for example, they were used to heal and to cause illness.
Barquart, P. 184. The Tribal Arts of Africa.
H = 15"
W = 7"
D = 4"
Yaka statues have common characteristics — an upturned nose and applied pigments. The majority of Yaka figures were carved in pairs and were associated with Mbwoolo shrines. Their abdomen are usually hollow, enabling the insertion of fetish material and they are also adorned with bundles of paraphernalia. Yaka figures are multi—functional and sometimes have contradictory roles, for example, they were used to heal and to cause illness.
Barquart, P. 184. The Tribal Arts of Africa.
Description:
Standing male fetish figure with large head, upturned large nose, almond—shaped slit eyes in deepset orbits. Protruding slit lips, small pointed chin, short cylindrical neck, flat shoulders. Feathers in cloth bags on each shoulder, small hole in cylindrical chest with magic potion. Elongated male phallic, boneless bent thick legs with small feet, brown patina over entire surface.
Collection:
Finley Collection
Material:
Wood W/Cloth, Feathers, Fetish Material and Patina
Used:
Ritually Used
Technique:
Carving / Weaving / Painting
Owned:
Art Department, MSSU
Accession#:
2014.1.69
Click to Enlarge
Front View
Right Side View
Left Side View
Rear View
Front View, (Close-up)
Front View
Right Side View
Left Side View
Rear View
Front View, (Close-up)