These sculptures were employed in religious rituals and ceremonies, by the Sukuma people in Tanzania. This particular sculpture shows tremendous age and use. The Sukuma are located within the Northern part of Tanzania and are a large tribe each of which is headed by a chief who is also a sorcerer and whose power is counterbalanced by secret societies. Sukuma carvers are associated with large, rough-looking, standing figures and masks which were used by musicians and dancers during ceremonies in the dry season, following the harvest. Sukuma carvers are associated with large, rough-looking, standing figures, which have a weathered patina. In some instances, these statues were made either with articulated limbs or were carved without any arms and legs at all. The later figures may have been used as scarecrows and the figures carved with articulated limbs, known as Amoeba, are used by musicians and dancers during ceremonies in the dry season, following the harvest. Another type of tall, carved figure, to which fetish material is attached, is thought to represent an ancestor.
- Material: Wood
- Condition: Good
- Age: 50-60 years
- Origin: Tanzania
- SKU: CSTA-013
- Weight: 1.2 kg
- Dimensions: 10 x 58.5 x 9 cm