Motinu Bmamba

This fetish Teke comes from the Calaba region of Nigeria. It was used as a receptacle of traditional medicine. In the hollowness of his belly, the leaves and barks corresponding to the disease or the evil that was desired to be cured were allowed to macerate.

The magic substance that is introduced into this well is called “bonga”. The “bonga” can also contain hairs of a revered old man and plaster, which, because of its white colour, is the symbol of the ancestors or can also contain a fragment of placenta mixed with tukula powder.

Besides protecting against illness, these statuettes may favour hunting, trade relations and childbirth. They are called “Biteke”. The most important is the “Butti”, which served as a support for an ancestor. In the case of twins, the statuette is double, like Janus. Statuettes made to mark the birth of a child protect the child during infancy; on reaching puberty, the owner may sell or dispose of the statuette.

This figure is old and has been used but its dating is difficult to establish. An unusual figure that presents some deterioration, suffered by time and use, at the back of the head.