Yaka - Power Figures (Relié)

This book presents the entire range of Yaka ritual sculptures. The Yaka people live in the southwestern Congo. For their manifold specific needs, purposes and traditions, they subdivided their carvings into groups such as Baana Maphasa, M-Mbwoolu or Phuungu. These objects played a significant role in the daily life of Yaka society after they were ritually charged with power substances. Moreover, these sculptures provided direct access to the supernatural powers of impormos ancestors and spirits.
Every statue exhibits full force, monumentality, expressiviry and originality as well as admirable abundance of shapes and forms.