Mbulu-ngulu reliquary figure

These figures were planted inside reliquary baskets containing ancestors’ bones and skulls. The bottom half was built as an anchor weight and was thus not visible. The rhomboid shape below the head, instead, is believed to be a stylized representation of a body: shoulders and arms ending in joined hands, or a pair of legs. The shine of the metal foil covering the wooden structure was probably associated with the power to attract and ward off external forces.