Mwana Hiti Statuette - Luguru - Tanzanian Coast - Late 19th / Early 20th Century - Primitive / Tribal Art

Mwana hiti statuette presenting a stylized and extremely refined body, surmounted by a youthful head. The headdress is arranged by several braids towards the back, with a carefully and harmoniously engraved groove. The ears are carved in relief, the forehead slightly rounded, the eyes fit into two small circular cavities. Hard wood, old shiny honey patina in places, very small lateral crack. Luguru, coastal region of Tanzania, late 19th / early 20th century Dimensions: 17 x 3 cm - With base: 19.5 cm Provenance: old collection in northern France Sold with certificate of authenticity from the expert Serge Reynes, guarantee of origin and period. * Shipping costs on estimate"Belonging to the initiatory tradition of the peoples of the Tanzanian coast, this Mwana hiti figure was given to young girls during puberty rites. It served as a teaching aid to transmit the values associated with motherhood, care and feminine discipline. The example presented here is distinguished by the difference in patina between the head, more saturated, and the body, which indicates that it was inserted into a medicinal receptacle. These containers, often made of calabash, held magical and therapeutic preparations intended to protect or heal. This secondary function, linked to beneficial forces and the transmission of knowledge, gives this statuette a remarkable symbolic depth."