Tesa ya ma kanya (snuff mortar)

This delicate vessel served as an instrument for grinding tobacco into snuff. That potent substance, introduced to the region via transatlantic trade networks in the seventeenth century, became a symbol of wealth and prestige among Chokwe elites. Finely carved tesa ya ma kanya were commissioned for personal use and for offering snuff to guests during social gatherings and public ceremonies. These intricate creations served as prized possessions that underscored the wealth and authority of their owners.

　

The most elaborate snuff mortars may be adorned with cultural heroes, ancestral figures, or the ideals of feminine beauty. This refined example features a minute female form who gestures toward her navel, the site of connection across generations. The artist included extensive detail despite the figure’s scale. Almond-shaped eyes connect with a naturalistically rendered nose and mouth, and semicircular ears feature small holes through which bead or shell attachments might originally have been fitted. The cylinder surmounting the figure has been carved with an opening into which tobacco would have been inserted.