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African & Tribal Art :
Hemba, Luba, Shankadi : Hemba Wooden Ancestor Figure
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Hemba Wooden Ancestor Figure - PF.1466A
Origin: Southeastern D.R.C.
Circa: 20
th
Century AD
Dimensions:
24" (61.0cm) high
Collection: African
Medium: Wood
Condition: Very Fine
Location: United States
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| Description |
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Standing figurine of a bearded man on a round
platform, his hands aligned on the belly, the
mouth slightly open, eyes half cast, the back of
the head elaborately carved with a cruciform
intaglio pattern. The back rendered flat apart
from the bulging curves of his buttocks.
The Hemba, living northeast of the Luba and
once classed as a Luba subgroup, are now
recognized as a distinct people. They are known
particularly for the large and elegant male
figures that represent ancestors. The great
sculptures of wood were kept in the houses of
clan chiefs as symbols of the dependence of the
living upon the dead. Ancestral worship is the
fabric of Hemba's society, which is based on
clans, (sometimes comprising an entire village),
often sharing a single ancestor. Hemba are proud
of their clan history, and maintain genealogical
trees to verify ownership of land and
establishment of hierarchy. The chiefs are in
charge of the ancestral figures as symbols of
authority and objects of veneration. Thus, this
handsome statue probably resided with a chief
and formed an important part of the household,
both in the secular and sacred sense. The style is
typical of singiti figures--usually male,
beautifully symmetrical and balanced, with
extended abdomen, arms brought over the
stomach, and a stylized beard. It exhibits those
qualities the Hemba admired, giving the
impression he has just come to rest, briefly,
before continuing on, like a warrior or hunter. He
is very human in the superb facial detail and
richly designed headdress. Yet, he possesses an
otherworldly aspect, as if he has walked out of
the wood he was carved from. He exudes
something not of this world, which is both
beautiful and mysterious. One of the most
attractive features are the half-closed eyes,
which gives the figure a meditative quality, as if
he is about to whisper something of great
importance, or reveal a mystery from the other
world. The nobility of this statue is derived from
the masterful carving of a talented sculptor, and
that indefinable something which makes an
object a work of art.
By highlighting and intensifying only the
important elements and eliminating the
unessential, a dynamism of spirit and power
results. Here, the body is sculpted in such a way
as to highlight the abdomen. By exaggerating its
size and flanking it with the figure's naturalized
hands, the sculptor forces our focus upon the
area of the human form that signifies a spiritual
link between all members of one lineage, a result
of the abdomen's unique relationship with the
umbilical cord. Through sensitive and artistic
abstraction of form, this male ancestor figure
truly generates a spiritual energy and power that
reaches across time and culture, moving the
beholder on a variety of levels, conscious and
subconscious.
For comparable examples see: T. Phillips, Africa.
The Art of a Continent, London, 1995: pp.292-
294. - (LO.1003)
- (PF.1466A)
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