Efomba Reliquary Figure, Ngata People, Congo/Zaire

Efomba Reliquary Figure, Ngata People, Congo/Zaire
African Tribal Art: Efomba Reliquary Figure, Ngata People, Congo/Zaire, Early/Mid Twentieth Century. Carved wood, pigments, hair, metal, fiber, beads.

Referred to as Bonganga or Efomba, this form of sculpture was commissioned by a person of high rank during his lifetime. It features a hollow back which was intended to act as a sarcophagus, but not for the bones of the deceased, but for an effigy skeleton.

The figure is decorated with polychromatic geometric patterns and decorative metal studding. Its head is covered with a thick matting of human hair crested with natural fiber braids , and two strands of bead-decorated fiber at the chin indicate a stylized beard. The box-like hollowed back is lined with metal sheeting.