Ancestor Figure – Wood – Sukuma – Tanzania

Seated Sukuma ancestor figure from Tanzania. Great figure in it`s abstract forms.  Good condition with a great patina of age.

Little is known of these strange figures, danced by the Sukuma a northern Nyamwezi people. Features are undistinguished, gender is often undefined. The figures, called mabinda, with moving parts (present or missing) are used in very theatrical, competitive and often provocative dance performances. The other figures relate to grave markers or are part of a chief’s treasury. Nyamwezi figures are often similar but usually with inset beaded eyes.

“The Sukuma people are a comparatively large tribe and number approximately one million. They live in small villages in the northern part of Tanzania,
each of which is headed by a chief who is also a sorcerer and whose power is counterbalanced by secret societies.

Provenance: former private collection from the Netherlands.