A male Eket sculpture, Congo, standing on his two chunky feet, bent and protruding knees, prominent buttocks, a rounded bloated stomach with protruding navel, wide shoulders, short arms folded downwards with hands opened turned towards the front, a small neck carrying a large oval head, with interesting layers of features, a small mouth in the jawline, pointed nose, and large almond shaped eyes that crosse the whole face, small ears at the end of the face, a protruding forehead; traces of ritual use, some minor cracks.

“The Niger River Delta area covers the entire southern part of Nigeria from the Benin River in the west to the Cross River in the east. There are two main cultural areas – the first includes the western side of the Niger River Delta and was first populated during the 9th century by migrating tribes who came from the north. The Ijo people were the first to settle in the area and now live on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean. Later, other tribes such as the Urhubo, the Isoko and the Ogoni settled in the northern and western part of this delta area. The second cultural area is centered around the Cross River in eastern Nigeria and is home to the Ibibio, the Igbo, the Ekoi, the Oron and the Eket. The latter shares the same Ekpo secret society which was first introduced to the area by the Ibibio people.
To the west of the Oron people, near the sea, live the Eket people. They produce paneled and circular masks that are used during ceremonies related to their Ekpo secret society. The anthropomorphic headdresses are used in festivities connected with their Ekong war secret society.”

Source:
Baquart, Jean-Baptiste. The Tribal Arts of Africa. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc. 1998. Print.

sold

Height: 60 cm
Weight: 2,6 kg