Vintage Mbete Statue

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A vintage Mbete Statue from the Kota Peoples of Gabon. They were tribes of secret societies quite large and powerful. The Mbete do not have any centralized political organization; they practice ancestor worship. They are thought to have a connection with the ancestor’s cult and they were either used as reliquaries or placed alongside ancestor bones in a basket. The busts, figures, statues and masks of the Mbete are cubist in structure, the stepped hair-dress having clearly-marked gradations, and the face frequently being painted white. Circa 1980s. Measurements: Height: 19.5" Width: 5.5" Depth: 6" Show more