A standing male figure, 160 cm tall, carved in wood. It comes from a small village chiefdom in the Wum region of Cameroon, where it was consulted whenever a problem arose in the community.

1. Form and Carving

The figure stands upright on slightly bent legs with large, flat feet. A tall crested coiffure rises above the head: a central herringbone ridge flanked by rounded curls. The face is round, with raised, diamond-shaped eyes and full lips. A necklace of large beads lies across the collarbones, and incised bands mark the upper arms and one wrist. The right hand holds a club or staff that ends in a small carved head near the knee, while the left hand rests on the thigh. Neck, torso, arms and legs are covered with dense, shallow cuts that break the light across the whole body.

2. Use and Context

According to the collection catalogue, only the birds could understand the figure's reply. Those initiated in the ritual divined the answer in birdsong and in the movements of flight. As the centre of the community, the figure was part of its identity: members scraped small pieces from the wooden body, ground them to powder and consumed them, a symbolic union with the figure. The fon, the chieftain, reports that it was made in the time of his grandfather. Since the community followed its fon in converting to Protestantism some years ago, the figure has lost its significance.

3. Surface

The wood is dark brown with a soft sheen on the raised areas. The undersides of the feet show lighter, bare wood.

Summary

A tall oracle figure from the Wum region, once the centre of a village community and consulted in its decisions.