MUMUYE Tribal Sculpture Africa Art

LARGE GUARDIAN FIGURE, IAGALAGANA, ANCESTOR OF THE MUMUYE OF NIGERIA – 1990 50 cm high 930 g The Mumuye were mainly located south of the Bénoué River in a hard-to-reach border area between Niger and Nigeria, which meant they remained very isolated until the mid-1950s. Organized in family groups called "Dola", their statues were kept not far from a second away in a box separate from the others called "Tsafi" called "Java", which housed the one who possessed the magical powers to activate them. As the embodiment of powerful guardian spirits, the sculpture of the Mumuye statues was and is - as is usually the case in Africa - very codified: cylindrical bodies, the arrangement of the arms around the bust, the stocky legs and in most cases a stylized headdress with side panels. The statues were and are placed on altars in certain remote villages to receive offerings and libations, to ensure the protection of families, to ensure the abundance of harvests and sometimes even to fulfill a judicial function. They were also for their owners an element of prestige and importance in the group. This Iagalagana has a magnificent age patina. It was collected in the 1980s and brought to Europe. Worldwide insured shipping -----------------------–––––––––––––––––----------------- Thank you so much for visiting AfricaArtSpirit, your mystery portal to the best kept treasures of Africa. Explore all our collections at: https://www.ballwool.com/shop/africaartspirit Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or wish to learn more about any of our pieces from our special art collection. Thank you so much!