Ancestor worship figure

In Bakongo sculpture, researchers distinguish two types of figures depicting motherhood. The first shows a mother holding a child, ‘mother with child’, and the other shows a ‘nursing mother’. Both types are associated with fertility. They are also used in rituals to ensure it. The Bakongo believe that the ‘mother with child’ symbolises abundance and guarantees protection for the new generations to be born, while the ‘nursing mother’ is primarily intended to protect against infertility and favour the continuation of families. The presented ancestor cult sculpture represents the first type – ‘mother with child’. Both the whole body of the woman and the child are covered with numerous horizontal, vertical and diagonal incisions. It most likely represents scarification, a type of body decoration by incising, scratching or burning the skin so that a lighter scar tissue forms (scar tattoo). The Bakongo decorate the bodies of both men and women in that way. The procedure is performed during an initiation rite. In women, it is an indicator not only of beauty but also of fertility. The Bakongo believe that if a girl accepts the incision without screaming, it means that she will also endure the pain of future births. On the other hand, if she screams or interrupts the procedure, she will not be fit to bear children. That is why some men check before getting married whether their chosen one has completed the scarification, considering the tattoo as a guarantee of the fertility of the future wife.

Katarzyna Findlik-Gawron