Figure of cult of dead

This figurine of the cult of the dead, called pomdo in the Kissi language (plural pomda or pomta), represents a human figure - most probably a man in a sitting position, holding a spearhead-like object in his right hand and a feather or leaf-like object in his left.Pomda are not the creations of their current users - the Kissi people living in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The contemporary Kissi find the sculptures in the ground or watercourses when preparing farmland, fishing or searching for diamonds. They regard them as manifestations of their dead ancestors. They place the found pomda on the altars of their ancestors and the dead and make offerings of food and animal blood to them. Depending on their function, they are divided into several types. They are believed to be powerful objects that promote fertility or house guardian spirits that protect against theft, ensure a good harvest or help fortune-tellers predict the future. After the owner's death, the pomdo statue, equipped with magical objects such as spearheads or hoes, is buried with the deceased.The origin of the pomdo sculptures is not entirely explained. It is thought that they were probably made between the 15th and 16th centuries, but this is difficult to establish. The difficulties in dating are exploited by traders in African sculpture, filling the markets of West African ports with more or less successful copies of pomda figurines. One theory is that traditional pomda were carved by an unknown people who inhabited Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. It is believed that they originally represented the rulers or leaders of the group.

Katarzyna Findlik-Gawron