Mumuye Lagana Female Figure, Nigeria #75

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  • Mumuye Lagana Figure, Nigeria #75
  • Really discovered by the West only in the early 1960s, the traditional use of Mumuye lagana figures (also called jagana, iagalagana or supa among the Mumuye in the South and the Janari in the North) is not yet very clear.
  • Many sources report the varied and sometimes contradictory uses of these figures: healing, prestige, protection and / or divination.
  • In the book Central Nigeria Unmasked: Arts of the Benue River Valley, Arnold Rubin describes how, among the Southern Mumuye people, diviners use lagana figures for healing; the statues are consulted to determine the cause and the appropriate remedy for diseases and misfortunes such as fertility problems and smallpox.
  • However, Arnold Rubin also mentions that these same numbers are also used to support elders and leaders within a given community; Janari figures are believed to ensure the well-being of the community by providing protection against drought and disease.
  • This observation is consistent with that of Jan Strybol - he states that "figurative sculpture has strengthened the influence and reputation of the leaders and religious specialists of Mumuye society by continuing their efforts to predict the future, heal the sick and make fall rain. ”3 This description overlaps. somewhat with Barry Hecht's description of supa figures used as a status symbol by the ancients.
  • The supa figures are indistinguishable from the figures used by diviners but instead of protecting the community, the supa figures are instead used to emphasize the prestige and authority of their owners.
  • Finally, some sources designate the figures of Mumuye lagana as physical representations of ancestors; they are used as receptacles to facilitate communication with ancestors and spirits.
  • What is clear is that more research needs to be done to identify the role these Mumuye figures play in their traditional setting.
  • Measurements: Height, 24.5 cm without base.
  • Fine carved wooden custom base included.
  • Condition: Good. Erosion on both legs. Although a 
  • Provenance: painter and sculptor collection, expert in African art, Belgium

 

 
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