A fetish of the Mama from Chapah village in Nigeria, about 100 cm high. A seated figure with a brass-sheathed face and a horned headdress rises above a dense base of horns, a gourd and wrapped packets.

1. Form and Assemblage

The sculpture is built in two zones. In the upper zone, a seated figure holds its arms in a wide, curved loop in front of its body, with the hands meeting at the centre. Its face is covered with a studded sheet of brass-coloured metal, and the shoulders and arms are overlaid with the same metal, engraved with rows of diamond shapes and set with round studs. A thick cord is wound around the neck. The head carries a pointed cap with two curved horns at the sides, covered with a dark, grainy crust.

Beneath the arms, a second, smaller face with metal-fitted features looks out, set above a block-like seat. The lower zone is a mass of curved horns, wrapped bundles, cords and a round gourd, piled on a base of coiled rattan rings.

2. Use and Context

According to the collection catalogue, the elaborate design and the many magical attributes show how great the importance of this figure must have been in the ritual life of the Mama around Chapah village. It was a reliquaire de prière, a reliquary of prayer. Members of the Mama group came from far and wide to present their requests and hoped to see them fulfilled. If nothing came of a petition, they concluded that the offering had been too small for the fetish to accept it, and repeated the request with a more generous gift, such as a goat in place of a chicken.

3. Surface

Much of the figure, especially the head, the bound neck and the base, is covered with a thick, grainy, grey-brown crust. The brass-coloured sheet stands out from it with a warm, yellow sheen, and the carved limbs show through in pale, smoother patches.

Summary

A Mama figure with brass-sheathed face and horned headdress on a base of horns, gourd and bundles, understood as a reliquary of prayer.