241231 - Extremely Rare and Old African Moba or Bimoba bone statue - Togo.

Extremly Rare & Antique Moba or Bimoba sculpture from North Togo.
Size are 15 cm including the stand.
More then 125 years old and collected before 1920.
Beautiful Moba statue from the north of Togo in animal bone. The statue is alive and dynamic. It is skillfully reduced to the essence, a simple body in motion. The patina is exquisite. See photos, sold as is. On the base. A beautiful old collector's item.

This Mona bone sculpture is dated second half of the 19th century and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.

The Moba are a predominantly agricultural group who settled in villages of extended family groups in northern Togo. Legends of their origins tell of immigrants from Fada N' Gourma riding on the backs of hartebeests and other Moba coming down from the sky on a rope.
The traditional religion of ancestor worship is a common part of their lives.
Moba diviners influence and direct the planning, design and ritual use of tchitcheri figures for family or clan shrines. They are protective and promote health and prosperity. They do not represent a specific person or ancestor, they are an individual's direct link to God. The figure is reduced to an elementary, symbolic form. Details such as facial features, hands, feet and indications of gender are not visible in the sculptures.