Teke Fetish Male Figure (Buti) stabbingspears and these terracotta models

and these terracotta models

together with other goods

and would have been lashed to a wooden shaft and thrust or thrown into the water

giving the piece its signature luster

and tree-bark fibre bags (bilum / noken) were everyday necessities

Teke Fetish Male Figure (Buti) stabbingspears and these terracotta modelsTeke people, mid 20th century, Republic of the Congo, Central Africa Magnificent small sized Teke fetish male figure (buti), representing a revered ancestor and believed to embody the ancestors substance (ikwii). Carved in the classical Teke style, the figure features a large head, rectangular torso, and slightly bent legs with robust feet. The face is that of an elder, with almond shaped eyes, a wide flat nose, crescent shaped ears, an open mouth,