Commemorative female figure
Not on view
By the 19th century, Chokwe chiefs, called mwanangana, or “lords of the land,” had established trade routes to the Atlantic Coast and alliances with the Portuguese. Profiting from commerce in ivory, rubber, wax, and the trade of enslaved people, they emerged as important regional rulers whose prestige and power was reflected in their courtly arts. As chiefs bore a sacred duty to the prosperity of their subjects, objects associated with rituals of enthronement were produced to reinforce the mythical origins of their dynasties. Many figures carved in commemoration of chiefs depict those rulers wearing the distinctive, voluminous headdress of the Chokwe founding hero, a Luba price named Cibinda Ilunga. This portrait most likely represents and commemorates a chief’s leading wife, namata, or a queen mother mwanangana wa pwo. Due to the matrilineal nature of succession in Chokwe society, both positions held great ceremonial significance. Unlike mwanangana figures, including the Met's seated chief with finger piano, which are relatively abundant, female figures of this type are quite rare. As in most commemorative chief figures, the flexed arms and legs, set shoulder blades, and arched lower back of this female counterpart suggest a vitality and strength befitting a royal ancestor.
