Nigeria
Mumuye

Wood, cowrie shell, rattan, fiber, plastic beads
Mid 20th Century
Length: 20 inches
Idiophone – Struck Indirectly – Shaken -Rattle

Mumuye artists are famous for their wooden statues known as ‘iagalagana,’ which were discovered in the late 1960s. With no royal system, the Mumuye are organized by age classes and choose a village chief who is assisted by a council of elders. 

This Mumuye figural upon a wicker rattle with a long-woven handle shows the stylistic signs of this ethnic group. The finial on top of the rattle is the wood carved ‘iagalagana.’  It has muscular legs, proportionally smaller than the remainder of the body, a slender torso with a cowrie shell serving as a navel and a rounded chest (toroidal shape) with arms suspended at the sides. The Mumuye distinguish the gender of the figures based on the shape of the ears; only Mumuye women pierce and distend their earlobes. This may be the only clue to determining the gender of this figure as a male.

The functions of Mumuye sculptural figures are varied. It is understood that the statuary does not depict ancestors, but rather incarnates tutelary
spirits.  They were used by both diviners and healers, whose professions included diagnosis and cure of ill health and other kinds of misfortunes.