Location:	New York
Type:	Hemba "Singiti" Ancestor
Tribe:	Hemba Singiti
Country:	Congo
Materials:	Semi-Hardwood
Age:	20 - 30 years old
Dimensions:	8"x2"x2" (HxWxD)

Statue is carved from a single piece of semi-hard wood and has a beautiful deep lustrous patina and excellent signs of age and tribal use.

 

In southeast DRC, the 80,000 Hemba people inhabit vast plains surrounded by high hills and bordered by streams, rocks, and marshes. The Hemba practice ancestor worship to justify the present authority and power of the chief of the clan. Among the Hemba, sculptured male figures posed standing with their hands placed on the lower abdomen or at the sides represent distinguished ancestors. They are considered to be portraits of specific individuals and were kept in the homes of the principal Hemba families as genealogical references.

 

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