The Teke, also known as the Bateke, Tyo or Tio, inhabit parts of the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Gabon, northeast of the Kingdom of Kongo, and east of Loango. They are traditionally farmers of maize, millet and tobacco, as well as being hunters, fishermen, weavers, miners, blacksmiths and traders.
Teke sculptural art is highly prized by international collectors, and this particular piece has been exhibited as early as 1935 during “African Negro Art” at the NY Museum of Modern Art. The piece has been in a number of important private collections and was sold by Christie’s auction house as recently as 2014 for 111,900 Euro.
“Ancestral spirits, called ikwii, are important in Teke society. Ikwii, meaning “shades of the dead” serve as guardians of the living, protecting them from any sort of adversity and affliction perpetrated by witches. The individuals upon whose spirits are called were typically chiefs and leaders, their presence assuring the community’s well-being. The father of a family would invoke the ikwii of some of his family members such as his father, mother and sometimes his mother’s brother to protect him and his family.
Reliquary figures called buti (spelled butti in some sources; sometimes called nkiba but nkiba have no central cavity) serve as a physical presence of ikwii. The master of a household would pray to his ikwii almost every day, typically in the evenings. Buti are named after and identified as specific male ancestors and located in a shrine to one’s deceased family members. Individual male patrons use buti figures to address a variety of personal concerns. Although buti are used by individual people to address personal matters, the buti of a village leader afforded benefits to the entire community, not to the individual leader alone.
As a way to summon the ikwii, the master rings a bell, shakes the otsara rattle and whispers shwii shwii close to the buti. Conversation proceeds, spoken in a way as if the relative were still alive. The master would give an offering of food by chewing some kola and spitting it on the figure for the ikwii to eat. He might then rinse the statue with nsta, lustral water, and then pour wine for the ikwii to drink.
A cavity is located within the front of the trunk that conceals medicinal matter (bonga), giving a physical and conceptual core to buti figures. The addition of bonga transforms the inanimate sculptural shell of the figure (figures devoid of bonga are called tege) into an ancestor. To desacralise an ancestral figure, the mystical substances located within must be removed. Upon the death of a figure’s owner, buti are buried along with his body and other belongings.”
- Kathryn Cua, Adenike Cosgrove, via ÌMỌ̀ DÁRA
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