Fertility Cult Figure - wood, string, beads, leather, cauris - Fali - Cameroun

Striking Fertility Cult Figure – Fali – Cameroun In good condition. It dates to the 1940-1950 period. On stand. Provenance: Ex – collection of Adam Oumarou Senoussi, Paris. Bought from him by P. Westerdijk in 1985. On stand. This very expressive cult figure is the largest of its kind since most similar pieces are far smaller. Such dolls named Ham pilu figured in family households to enhance fertility and health of new-born babies. The general build-up mirrors that of far smaller examples used by individual owners, mostly young girls, that aspired to become mothers and received their dolls from their future husbands. The wooden doll has a conical head with thin beaded strings for hair; the long neck is completely covered with strings of coloured beads strung in layers; the arms and legs are represented by leather thongs ending in cauri shells. The body is entirely clad with many coils of coloured beads, while a string of Islamic leather amulets serves as a girdle. Literature: Elisabeth L. Cameron: Isn’t s/he a doll? Los Angeles, 1996, pp. 30-31. Dimensions: 46 x 20 x 15 cm. People /Region: The Fali and their neighbours live in the Mandara Mountains of northern Cameroon. Material: wood, string, beads, leather, cauris. Weight: 3. 95 incl. stand Sold with handwritten declaration of authenticity by Dr. P. Westerdijk, museum ethnologist and cultural anthropologist specialized, for over 50 years now, in the study of the material cultures in African nations that live south of the Sahara.