code: 2019-AH

an old, musical instrument

with an intriguing carved wooden head as handle, on an iron bell, 

we think it was made and used by the

Bamum People

a sub-group of the Bamileke in Cameroon, Africa,

seen it's overall authentic patine, surface and pre-tourist time style, we believe it is 

 early 20th century,

the bell is made of forged iron, the figural top is made of carved wood,

attached to each other with rotan, 

the wooden drum stick is attached with braided textile cord,

at the top we see a headdress of a Bamum man of royal status; a king, big chief or Fon,

it represents a prestige cap, a Shuotu, worn by men of high status

and typical for the Cameroon Grassfields,

the rotan around the elongated neck represents a necklace / neck rings,

the face shows raised eyebrows, eyes that slightly telescope out of their sockets, a prominent nose, 

slightly blown cheeks, circular ears, a protruding chin under a closed mouth,

the patina shows the gong could have been extensively used in ceremonies, such as the Cry.

The Cry is a ceremony of the Night Society, held around the burial of a deceased Bamum king / chief 

and the initiation of the new king,

in early days, pre tourists time, the sculpture's goal during creation of the head, was to commemorate and celebrate the royal ancestor, the carving should show likeness; carved from life and resemble the subject,

the head might be a small version of or derived from the Tu Ngunga - head for the dance,

the gong itself is considered as a blessing, a bringer of prosperity and fertility for the new royal family and the land, Fondom

condition: firm, no restoration, 

we did not clean, polish or wax it, we did not change a thing to make it look nicer or more interesting, 

the dirt seems authentic,

height: circa 52,5 cm / circa 20.6 inch

weight: circa 715 gram

some search terms: ritual ceremonial gong, Bangwa, Bamenda Tikar, Bafum, Mbuk, Bekom, Kameroen, Kamerun, Bamoun, Bamoum, Bamun, Mum, Bantoid group, statue figure, figur, Gong Society, Glocke, Tanzglocke Eisenglocke, Eisen un Holz, lefem figure, portrait statue, ancestor figure, tugunga, tungunga, Nsorro member, masquerade

please note: we are not experts on the subject of tribal art, we have done some limited, unprofessional research, trying to attribute this statue to a land, country, tribe or people and age to the best we could - before bidding or buying do judge for yourself the tribal affilation and the correct age - we are selling this item "as is" and we will not accept returns if the buyer finds that we are wrong concerning these matters.