Product Description
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Ambete Mbete Figure – Gabon
This Ambete (Mbete, Mbede, Mbete and Mbeti) figure originates from Kota, in the Republic of Congo near the northern frontier of Gabon and also in northern Gabon. Hands held in front of stomach, stylized relief facial features with a rectangular mouth, central crested hairdo. White pigmented surface with painted black highlights surfaces somewhat encrusted. Their fully carved figures, such as this excellent example, had a niche carved into the back for magical ingredients. The latter are thought to have a connection with the ancestor`s cult. They are believed to function as guardians of the remains of ancestral bones housed in a separate hut in the village.
Made of 100% wood
Model is W 18 – H 66 and weight 2.5 kg.
Description
This Ambete (Mbete, Mbede, Mbete and Mbeti) figure originates from Kota, in the Republic of Congo near the northern frontier of Gabon and also in northern Gabon. Hands held in front of stomach, stylized relief facial features with a rectangular mouth, central crested hairdo. White pigmented surface with painted black highlights surfaces somewhat encrusted. Their fully carved figures, such as this excellent example, had a niche carved into the back for magical ingredients. The latter are thought to have a connection with the ancestor`s cult. They are believed to function as guardians of the remains of ancestral bones housed in a separate hut in the village.
They carved three types of sculpture: heads, busts, and full figures. The latter are thought to have a connection with the ancestor’s cult – they were either used as reliquaries or placed alongside ancestor’s bones in a basket. The massive reliquary figures, statues, and masks of the Mbete are cubist in structure, the stepped hair-dress having clearly marked gradations, and the face frequently being painted white.
The Mbete claiming a Kota origin live in the middle part of the Republic of Congo near the frontier of Gabon and in eastern Gabon. In view of the shifting location of the peoples living in this region, it is impossible to retrace the precise history of the Mbete culture. Certain ethnological and sociological aspects of their life are relatively well known, and we know that the secret societies were numerous and powerful. The Mbete do not have any centralized political organization; they practice ancestor worship.
Additional information
Weight | 2.5 kg |
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Dimensions | 18 × 66 cm |
Color | |
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