Baga altar a-tiol - Figure - Guinea-Bissau

A cubist example of an early A-Tshol representing an anthropomorphic bird. According to the Baga, Birds are intermediaries between heaven, the world of spirits and earth, the world of man. A Baga village traditionally is composed of lineages that are descended from a common ancestor. Each lineage owned an A-Tshol, which protected the group from evil. During festivals, the families would show their A-Tshols and ask for a successful harvest, worn as horizontal headpieces at dances associated with male initiation and appear at funerals. Each A-Tshol, the most visible sign of a particular ancestry, incarnates the life of the lineage. When not in use, A-Tshols are kept in shrines sometimes located in the houses of the eldest members of the lineages. Provenance: old american Collectio

Estimate:£2,345.25

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