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Chamba Statue, Nigeria - Early 20th Century

Description
A small columnar, spiked statue in the form of a male figure, known as a ‘Tau-Wandoa’ (female statues are known as ‘Tau-Kendoa’), made from hard wood and a crafted iron stake allowing it to be driven into the ground. Made by the Chamba people to the south of the Benue river in Nigeria during the early 20th century, the statue has a deep, aged patina and evidence of encrusted earth applied decoratively, as is common in Chamba figures. The face is abstract but suggested, with a crested hairstyle, and the body staff-like, with slightly bent arms close to the sides, and a hollowed-out abdominal cavity. The spiked statue would be identified diffusely with ancestral spirits, providing a point of address by which they could be approached formally and ritually with offerings and requests.

Literature: ‘Central Nigeria Unmasked: Arts of the Benue River Valley’, R. Fardon, 2011.
Dimensions: H 43cm, W 4.5cm, D 5cm.

Period:	1900-1919
Materials:	wood, Hand Carved
Condition:	Good.
Creation Date:	Early 20th Century
Styles / Movements:	Tribal
Patterns:	Handmade
Book References:	Literature: ‘Central Nigeria Unmasked: Arts of the Benue River Valley’, R. Fardon, 2011.
Incollect Reference #:	638253