Male and female kike figure pair

early 20th century

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 344

Mambila artists have excelled at deploying the narrow pith, or core, of the raffia palm as a sculptural medium. Referred to locally as "bamboo," pith carries special significance as a building material, trade good, and source of sap for a popular fermented beverage. While tadep figures are fashioned from a single column of this pliable material, the broader proportions of a kike are achieved by pegging together three strips edge-to-edge. Both forms originated as healing agents and may have also served a protective function. These examples were collected and documented in the Mambila cultural hub of Mbamnga. In that setting they were public-facing works, affixed with netting to the exterior of a storehouse used by the local Sùàgà association.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

References

Title: Male and female kike figure pair
Artist: Mambila artist
Date: early 20th century
Geography: Cameroon, Donga River region, Mbamnga village
Culture: Mambila peoples, Mbamnga group
Medium: Raffia palm pith, pigment
Dimensions: a: H. 10 in. × W. 7 3/8 in. × D. 3 in. (25.4 × 18.7 × 7.6 cm)
b: H. 11 1/4 × W. 6 1/4 × D. 2 in. (28.6 × 15.9 × 5.1 cm)
Classification: Wood-Sculpture
Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1972
Object Number: 1972.4.24a, b
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

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