Description
Baga Nimba Statue – female
one of the most intriguing, is known by the name of Nimba
This lavish headdress is unique in the art of the Africans
It originates among the Baga people living in Guinea, in the most western parts of the African continent.
The Nimba was employed in rice harvest dance ceremonies performed in order to procure the fertility of the fields.
The dancer carried it on his shoulders, holding the piece by its front legs,
while his whole body was adorned in a costume made of vegetal fibers.
Nimba is assumed to represent a divinity of aboundance and fertilitiy,
but the precise interpretation is yet to be obtained.
It is also linked with pregnant women, and those wishing to secure their progeny.
From the aesthetic point of view, the dynamic and imaginative sculptural form of the Nimba,
as well as the surreal and expressive symbolism, provide it with an extraordinary attraction.
Nimba is a misterious being belonging to the world of phantasy,
its crest and beak symbolising power and virility, and large breasts suggesting fertility.
The scarifications on the face and breasts, as indications of tribal identity,
as well as the intricately designed hair dress, imply that authentic
meaning of this complex piece is to be sought in the historical and social context – the heritage of the Baga.
