Figure

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 represent power, fertility or virility, and immortality.

Full-length figure of a man carrying a container on his back. The arm on the left is supporting the container and the hand on the right is holding the genital area. Between the legs and attached to the leg on the right, is a snake-like figure carrying a smaller snake on its back. From the back of the larger snake's bulbous body, there is a leg terminating in three toes? The large snake has circular eyes and the tongue protrudes from the open mouth. The man's hair and loincloth and the larger snake's body are textured while the remaining surface area is smooth.