the arts of africa - Dallas Museum of Art

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156 2 : african art in the cycle of life 49 Standing female figure (mbem) Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yanzi peoples Late 19th to early 20th century Wood and pigment 91/! 6 × 213/! 6 × 25/* in. (23.02 × 7.14 × 6.67 cm) The Clark and Frances Stillman Collection of Congo Sculpture, gift of Eugene and Margaret McDermott, 1969.S.199 three : art for security and well-being The Yanzi employ a variety of sculpted figures in rituals to assure their well-being. A series of figures called mbem were used in specific situations to protect against disease, reverse infertility that could ironically be caused by an mbem, or identify wrongdoers.14 Some mbem were used to reinforce the authority of the head of an extended family or cause a woman to become sterile if she lied about an adulterous relationship under oath before an mbem. Grandmothers, in addition to chiefs and male heads of extended families, were entitled to own mbem to reinforce their authority over the women in their families.15 Mbem figures are carved in the form of male, female, or androgynous humans with minimal physiognomic details. The hands and feet of this diminutive female figure, for example, are rendered as faceted geometric forms. Diagonal striations incised on her face replicate the facial scarification that was in fashion when the statue was carved. Although the figure is posed frontally (see facing), it is fully three- dimensional in its conception (see rear view, below). The profile, for example, displays echoing and complementary angles: the upward thrust of her hairstyle is in opposition to the V-shaped ears that oppose the larger V-shaped arms and shoulders. And, her legs are flexed at the knees offering more angles. The figure’s red color, the result of applications of camwood paste, indicates that a ritual specialist consecrated the mbem. When it was in use, the mbem was probably dressed in a raffia cloth, adorned with a necklace, and smelled of tobacco smoke.
158 2 : african art in the cycle of life 50 Figure (nazeze-type of yanda) Democratic Republic of the Congo, Northeastern region, Zande peoples Late 19th to early 20th century Wood, metal, coins, and beads 6½ × 23/* × 21/* in. (16.51 × 6.03 × 5.40 cm) The Gustave and Franyo Schindler Collection of African Sculpture, gift of the McDermott Foundation in honor of Eugene McDermott, 1974.SC.50 three : art for security and well-being Anthropomorphic figures like this one are known as yandas after the protective spirits that the Zande peoples believe guard their communities.16 Yanda figures belonged to the highest-ranking members of the Mani society, a secret association open to both men and women. Membership in Mani ensured one’s general well-being, including fertility, successful hunting and fishing, protection against disease and sorcery, and the resolution of family or legal problems. According to some scholars, the Mani association was organized initially to counter act the authority of the royal elite lead by the Vurungura clan and later the Belgian colonial government.17 Yanda figures are usually referred to as female because of their asso ciation with fertility even though their sex is most often un defined. Made of wood, clay, or soft stone, nazeze-type yandas are carved in an abstract style with a minimum of physiognomic details. The wood used for the sculpture was chosen for its medicinal properties.18 Magical substances could also be placed in the yanda’s recessed navel, which was covered. Concealed in special containers, yandas were activated during a ritual in which they were anointed with libele, a plant mixture. Petitioners continued to anoint the yandas as they disclosed their problems to the figures, which were then returned to their receptacles. After a problem was resolved, the petitioner offered the yanda gifts of beads, metal rings, and coins, similar to the adornments on the Dallas figure. Over time the surface of the figure became so thick with encrustation that the carving beneath was obscured. It could be said that the sculptures were more the product of ritual process than aesthetic choice made by the sculptor.
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Roslyn Adele Walker is Senior Curat
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the arts of africa at the dallas mu
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director’s foreword and acknowled
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AfRicAn ARt At the DMA: A bRief his
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16 african art at the dma: a brief
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AfRicAn ARt in context fig 10 Figur
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32 african art in context african a
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chapter 1 icons and symbols of lead
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42 1 : icons and symbols of leaders
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chapter 4 african art and the influ
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GAMBIA GUINEA- BISSAU WESTERN SAHAR
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302 PeoPles of africa PeoPles of af
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306 PeoPles of africa PeoPles of af
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310 aBBreViated references and sele
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314 aBBreViated references and sele
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318 index index 319 LaGamma, Alisa,
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