Chamba Male Wood Figure Custom Stand Nigeria African Art

Description

Type of Object
Figure, Carving, Statue, Sculpture
Country of Origin
Nigeria
People
Chamba
Materials
Wood, pigment
Approximate Age
20th century
Height (in)
15.5
Width (in)
5.5
Depth (in)
3
Other Dimensions
17.5 Inch height on stand
Overall Condition
Fair. Most of our pieces have spent decades on at least two continents, and have been treasured by several owners.   Small splits, scrapes and cracks are a normal part of their patina attesting to their age and extensive use.  We examine each piece carefully when we receive it and report any damage we find in our listings.  Please look carefully at the pictures which may also reveal condition and damage.
Damage/Repair
Repaired arm, well worn patina
Additional Information:
Little is known regarding Chamba sculptures, but it has been reported that figures such as this are used in cult activity, known as Jup, ones dominated by men, or, in the case of women, Jem. Jem practices are directed to the life issues of disease, death, and misfortune, which they can cause and cure.  Jup activity cuts across all aspects of Chamba life and family relationships; it is music, dance, performance, as it defines ethical and moral codes and is the means to adjust and control the seen and unseen. Jup names animals, rituals, things of the bush, the dead and the living. In fact Jup is an integral part of Chamba life and in order to name the function a figure it is necessary to know the context. Sculpted figures as well as any number of other objects were known as Jup and were publicly or secretively displayed during ceremonies or rituals.
The Chamba, whose number today is estimated to be 20,000, settled in northern Nigeria, on the southern bank of the Benue River. They are divided into small kingdoms each headed by a king assisted by a council of elders whose powers are regulated by male and female secret societies within which art has a prominent role as a symbol of transformation during funerals, initiation and to control the forces of untamed nature.
Recommended Reading:
Sieber, Roy. Sculpture of Northern Nigeria, 1961.
Sieber, R. and Tony Vevers. Interaction: the art styles of the Benue River and East Nigeria. 1974.
Wittmer, M.K. and W. Arnett, Three Rivers of Nigeria, Art of the Lower Niger, Cross and Benue, 1978.
**137045**
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