Grotesque Top Figure of a Protective Pole - Hardwood - Chamba - Nigeria

Grotesque Top Figure of a Protective Pole – Chamba – Nigeria In fairly good state but with some insect damage. It dates back to the 1940’s. On stand. Provenance: collected in situ by P. Westerdijk in the Benue River Valley region around 1969. While touring in the region of the Chamba and Mumuye, I have collected quite a few original carvings the locals were eager to sell after having adopted Islam. Such pole figures used to be placed in between the crops in the fields to protect plants and harvest against lightning and similar disasters such as diseases as a kind of spiritual scarecrows. The head of this female figure has the features of a supernatural being with a beak instead of a human mouth. On its lower back sits a magic box containing strong medicine to charge the carving with. Remains of offerings of poultry are to be found on the surface in the form of downfeathers on a reddish ground layer of clay. Arms in double V-shaped hooks encompassing pending breasts and protruding belly. The bended legs sink straight into the pole without any feet. Literature: Richard Fardon and Christine Stelzig: Column to Volume, London, 2005. Dimensions: 64 x 10x 11 cm. People / Region: The Chamba live in the Benue Valley Region of northeast Nigeria. Material: Hardwood. Weight: 1. 14 kg. 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.