Standing female figure "niande"

wood, shiny dark brown patina, rich scarification marks, min. dam., missing parts (left foot tip), slight traces of abrasion, base.
"Niande" figures, both male and female, represent royal ancestors and are displayed at annual ceremonies that occur at key points in the agricultural cycle. The very ownership of the figures confirms the chief's right to rule. During funeral rites, which generally occur long after the actual burial, a figure may stand in for and represent the deceased chief. The figures are also important in ancestral ritual and sometimes accumulate a patina from substances offered as sacrifices to the ancestors, or from use in divination.