Northern, central, and southern Kenya and northern Tanzania.
Maasai

African Ebony Wood
1960s
Height: 9.5 in
Other – Ritual Symbolism

This figurative sculpture is a generalized ancestral representation in the form of an elderly Maasai man.  It most likely serves as a precious relic of remembrance that supports a paternal lineage among the Maasai.  Hand carved from a single piece of ebony wood is realistic features of a dome-shaped forehead with a bearded chin. The top of the head supports a woven design cap. There are realistic C-shaped ears and cylindrical rolls for the neck leading to the supporting shoulders.