They also refer to a custom preceding the burial of higher-grade initiates of the lilwa society, whose bodies were suspended from a beam in their house in order to collect their fluids, which were then used during the successor’s sprinkling ritual (a method intended to transmit the life force from one person to another). These figures are only displayed and interpreted during rites of passage and certain critical situations (e.g., in case of a bad hunt, conflicts between social groups, oath-taking ceremonies)
- Height : 27x15cm
- Tribe : Yombe People
- Country : Congo ex Zaire
- Material : Wood .
- Provenance : Private Collection
- Estimated age : mid 20th Century
