Mani Protective Figure

Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zande/Azande people, ca. late 19th to early 20th century CE. A hand-carved wooden protective figure  with brass rings known as a yanda, which were crafted by for use in the Mani secret society. The religious and social leader of the Mani secret society, first founded in 1910, subsequently personally bestows ‘magic powers’ to these cultic figures by means of rubbing them with soot, smoke, and with a black ‘magic paste’. Their black, encrusted patina derives from this. In addition, the cult leader embellishes the ‘Yanda’ with jewellery of copper wire and glass beads. Only at this point are the ‘Yanda protective figures’ effective in the ceremonial rituals of the Mani secret society: they should protect against illness, female infertility, and witchcraft. And they should assist the men in hunting. The abstract and stylized body emphasizes the thigh / hips and the projecting navel (umbilical hernia) that symbolized fertility and the succession of generations.