Headrest (Primary Title)

Unknown (Artist)

ca. 1875-1940
Yaka
wood (Quassia undulata or Chaetachme aristata), brass tacks
Democratic Republic of Congo
Overall: 9 × 8 1/2 × 5 3/4 in. (22.86 × 21.59 × 14.61 cm)
84.81
The large, upturned nose of the figure supporting this headrest is a Yaka reference to circumcision and manliness. For their rites of passage, adolescent Yaka boys go to a special camp where they are circumcised and learn the responsibilities of being an adult. The upturned nose, a symbol of male potency, also appears on Yaka statues and circumcision masks.
Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund
Fiktion Kongo, Museum Rietberg Zürich, Switzerland, November 22, 2019 - March 15, 2020

Spirit of the Motherland. Septemeber 1994. May 2000.
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC

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