This lovely Kamba figure, showing a subtle blend of features both stylized and naturalistic, is of a type connected withthe ancestors and may have belonged to a magical practitioner (mundu mue, a benevolent sorcerer, or mundu mwoi, whose powers are used for the ill).

The present design shows a domed, powerful head with stoic visage and gazing, perforated metal eyes, its strength emphasized by a wide jaw, large ears and a stout, broad neck encircled by asimple necklace. Its lightly poised arms flow gracefully down from the neck,and heavy feet and ankles on short legs anchor the figure’s stance. A singledisc earring, one of an original pair, is still attached at the right ear. The suggestion of a coiffure is achieved by a texturing effect to the wood surfaceof the head, upon which rests a peaked metal cap.

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