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Kumbi Bed Panel:Three Seated Figures
Not on view
During a young woman’s extended sojourn in the kumbi nzo, her body was the focus of ritual washing, shaving, and bodily anointment with tukula paste made from the bark of the nkula tree pounded into a red powder. Tukula has been associated with power, fusion, and mediation. When mixed with palm oil and fine sand, this substance was at once a cosmetic and a sign of the wearer’s transition to womanhood. In this scene, a gin bottle held in the man’s right hand may refer to the male suitor’s gift of palm wine to his future wife’s clan. The bearded figure seated with his arms crossed supporting his chin and resting on his raised knees is the relative who represents the clan’s interests. The explicit gestures and vivid red of the imagery underscore women’s bodies as vessels for perpetuating the clan.
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