NGBAKA AFRICAN FIGURE - CAMEROON GABON CONGO

Description

NGBAKA FIGURE on metal shaft
The Ngbaka numbering 400,000 to 1,000,000 are situated mostly south of the Ubangi River, in northern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Their settlements were dispersed and lack of overall political organization; a hamlet would generally be made up of an extended family or patrilineal clan. They practiced slash-and-burn agriculture growing
manioc, maize, sorghum and bananas
and lived off fishing and hunting. They also raise chickens and goats for eggs and milk. The Ngbaka had a system of initiation named
gaza
or
ganza
: “that which gives strength.” Future initiates had to undergo trials of physical endurance and would attain a first level of knowledge by means of song and corporeal techniques, particularly choreographic turns. In the rites of passage, re-creations of ancestors played an important role. Circumcision and excision took place after several months spent outside the village.
This fine example measures 7.75 inches long and 1.75 inches wide.
The figure is 4.5 inches tall.
Materials: wood, metal, leather