Fang Bwiti Fetish Figure

Arms outspread, or wings, or horns. The maker saw no need to say which.

From the Fang peoples of Cameroon comes this Bwiti fetish figure, 20th century, in twine, leather and iron. Among the Fang, Bwiti is a religious tradition centered on initiation and on contact with the ancestors, and its objects were made with that serious purpose in mind. Stitched, studded leather forms a wide upper body tapering to two points, with a small knob at the crown. Brass-colored coils bind the narrow waist. Two curved iron prongs anchor the rounded lower part. Ten inches high.

Spare in every way, and impossible to look past.