200233 - Old African Tribal Kota Statue - Gabon.
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:49809635 | Country/Region of Manufacture: Gabon |
Gabon: Old African Tribal used face Kota figure.
Hand carved from a single piece of wood, with Brass Face.Height: 41 cm.
The land of the Kota, numbering some 75, 000, is situated in theeastern part of Gabon, extending slightly into the People’s Republic of the Congo.The Kota are actually a number of groups of peoples with common cultural traits. Althoughthese peoples share many cultural traits, they are by no means homogeneous. The rain forests which surround the Kota are farme...d with slash andburn techniques, combined with crop rotation. By moving crops from year to year, erosionand soil depletion is avoided. The main crops grown are plantains and manioc.The Kota live in villages comprising two or more clans. Clans inturn comprise several lineages or family groups that trace their descent from a commonlinea ancestor. This is an important point related to their art, for like the Fang, theKota revere the relics of ancestors. Ancestor worship formed the core of the familygroup’s religious and social life. At the death of a chief, the initiates would takefrom the body of the deceased various relics, which were then decorated with metal andrubbed with powders of multiple magical powers. The Kota have produced large quantity ofstatues of ancestors with thediamond-shaped lower part called mbulu-ngulu; theserather two-dimensional sculptures are in wood;symbolic metals were applied to the upper part in strips or sheets to add power. Copper inparticular was identified with longevity and power. These statues stood guard incylindrical bark boxes, on baskets or bundles called bwetethatcontained the skulls and bones of important ancestors. Bound into a packet and lashed to the base of a carved figure, thebones formed a stable base that allowed the image to stand more or less upright. Thanks tothe diversity of the groups, scattered over a vast area, a great variety of differentstyles of figures has developed, some of them endogenous and some influenced byneighboring styles. Kota figures represent an extremely stylized human body, reduced toshoulders and “arms, ” in emptied lozenge shape, surmounted by a large faceframed by an ample coiffure with hanging tresses. The face, always oval, may be concave(female), convex (male) or concave-convex, with a forehead in quarter-sphere (also male).The reliquaries were kept outside the homes, in huts at the edge of the village. Only theinitiates of the lineage had access to this sacred place. At the time of initiation in thereliquary cult, the clans would meet to perform communal rituals; each clan’s chiefwould dance holding the reliquary. Some reliquaries featured a large figure representingthe lineage founder along with some smaller figures representing his successors. Thereare figures with two identical or different faces made on two opposite sides of the flathead.
A SUMMARY OF OUR AFRICA-GALLERY SELLING POLICIESThe stand is NOT included.Payment - PayPal preferred. For other payment methods please contact us before bidding. Shipping - We ship worldwide. We try and get shipments out as quickly as possible after payment, usually shipping four times weekly. Combined shipping - For buyers of multiple items please email us when done shopping for your combined invoice with reduced shipping fees. For urgent deliveries we can arrange courier shipments via DHL (additional charges incurred to be covered by the buyer). Delivery – Delivery to most destinations is anywhere between 2 to 8 business days inside Europe and 16 to 21 business days to the rest of the world, after receiving our email confirmation that the item has been shipped. Parcels shipped from the Netherlands are sent using the Post NL and the parcel status is traceable online. Refunds & Returns – We are aiming for your complete satisfaction. If for any reason you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase please return the item to us for a complete refund or exchange. No hassles, no questions asked. Refunds will be issued via PayPal or by Bank only. The shipping cost are not refund. Please Contact Us – For any questions, concerns, or clarifications before bidding on or purchasing an item. We are usually able to respond within 24 hours. To avoid spam filters please establish initial contact through the eBay messaging system. Thank you, Gijs van Kuijk.
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Hand carved from a single piece of wood, with Brass Face.Height: 41 cm.
The land of the Kota, numbering some 75, 000, is situated in theeastern part of Gabon, extending slightly into the People’s Republic of the Congo.The Kota are actually a number of groups of peoples with common cultural traits. Althoughthese peoples share many cultural traits, they are by no means homogeneous. The rain forests which surround the Kota are farme...d with slash andburn techniques, combined with crop rotation. By moving crops from year to year, erosionand soil depletion is avoided. The main crops grown are plantains and manioc.The Kota live in villages comprising two or more clans. Clans inturn comprise several lineages or family groups that trace their descent from a commonlinea ancestor. This is an important point related to their art, for like the Fang, theKota revere the relics of ancestors. Ancestor worship formed the core of the familygroup’s religious and social life. At the death of a chief, the initiates would takefrom the body of the deceased various relics, which were then decorated with metal andrubbed with powders of multiple magical powers. The Kota have produced large quantity ofstatues of ancestors with thediamond-shaped lower part called mbulu-ngulu; theserather two-dimensional sculptures are in wood;symbolic metals were applied to the upper part in strips or sheets to add power. Copper inparticular was identified with longevity and power. These statues stood guard incylindrical bark boxes, on baskets or bundles called bwetethatcontained the skulls and bones of important ancestors. Bound into a packet and lashed to the base of a carved figure, thebones formed a stable base that allowed the image to stand more or less upright. Thanks tothe diversity of the groups, scattered over a vast area, a great variety of differentstyles of figures has developed, some of them endogenous and some influenced byneighboring styles. Kota figures represent an extremely stylized human body, reduced toshoulders and “arms, ” in emptied lozenge shape, surmounted by a large faceframed by an ample coiffure with hanging tresses. The face, always oval, may be concave(female), convex (male) or concave-convex, with a forehead in quarter-sphere (also male).The reliquaries were kept outside the homes, in huts at the edge of the village. Only theinitiates of the lineage had access to this sacred place. At the time of initiation in thereliquary cult, the clans would meet to perform communal rituals; each clan’s chiefwould dance holding the reliquary. Some reliquaries featured a large figure representingthe lineage founder along with some smaller figures representing his successors. Thereare figures with two identical or different faces made on two opposite sides of the flathead.
A SUMMARY OF OUR AFRICA-GALLERY SELLING POLICIESThe stand is NOT included.Payment - PayPal preferred. For other payment methods please contact us before bidding. Shipping - We ship worldwide. We try and get shipments out as quickly as possible after payment, usually shipping four times weekly. Combined shipping - For buyers of multiple items please email us when done shopping for your combined invoice with reduced shipping fees. For urgent deliveries we can arrange courier shipments via DHL (additional charges incurred to be covered by the buyer). Delivery – Delivery to most destinations is anywhere between 2 to 8 business days inside Europe and 16 to 21 business days to the rest of the world, after receiving our email confirmation that the item has been shipped. Parcels shipped from the Netherlands are sent using the Post NL and the parcel status is traceable online. Refunds & Returns – We are aiming for your complete satisfaction. If for any reason you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase please return the item to us for a complete refund or exchange. No hassles, no questions asked. Refunds will be issued via PayPal or by Bank only. The shipping cost are not refund. Please Contact Us – For any questions, concerns, or clarifications before bidding on or purchasing an item. We are usually able to respond within 24 hours. To avoid spam filters please establish initial contact through the eBay messaging system. Thank you, Gijs van Kuijk.
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