Carving

The Makonde were a matriarchal, agricultural society. Traditionally, it is thought, the sculpture of the Makonde was restricted to ceremonial and ritual goods. Shetani spirits or creatures, now seen in contemporary Makonde sculpture, were probably unknown before the advent of commercial art production in the mid-1950's. Tales of encounters with these rarely seen spirits or creatures were part of Makonde mythology and folklore and may have served as artistic inspiration for the pieces.

Commercial art.

Serpents are frequent familiars of witches and sorcerers. They are also carriers of fertility, virility, power, and immortality.

Carving composed of a three-sided column carved with figures. There is a human head and shoulders at the bottom. A human torso in profile rests on a naturalistic leg cut off at mid-thigh and the upper body becomes a multi-sided form which flows downward to meld with the beard of the face on the right, on the back of the sculpture it forms a circle which encases a bird-like head. Above the bird-like head is the back of the human torso, the leg is bent and the foot rests on the circle. The front of the human torso becomes a snake's body, it curves down then up and forms a loop on the right of the sculpture. The snake's head rests on the torso's leg. A head is enclosed between the snake's body and the torso with a disfigured eye. Enclosed in the coil below the snake's head is a grooved tongue-like form. Above one ear of the lower head is a large face, the eye formed by a loop in the snake's body, a profile nose, a toothed mouth, a pointed beard. On the left the torso's hand holds a flexed leg.