250867- African Ancient Mambila ancestral sculpture called Tadep on stand - Cameroon.

Ancient Mambila ancestral sculpture called Tadep Mambila figurines are always very expressive and have a completely unique appearance compared to other African ethnic groups. This statue on a metal stand represents an ancestor and his magical spiritual aura: the Tadep.

Height: 46 cm including stand and 39 cm without the stand.

This Mambila sculpture was dated in the mid of the 20th century and comes with a certificate of Authenticity.

The Tadep's image is strictly defined: hands on the chin as a sign of surprise, the head, from which protruding spikes, is pressed against the shoulders... the bust, which forms a protrusion, rests on very short, or even completely absent, legs to symbolize the weight of years and wisdom.
The statue has stood in the burial ground for a long time, causing the base to deteriorate due to erosion, sun, wind, and rain. The Mambila (who number only about thirty thousand people) are located in northwestern Cameroon, on the border with Nigeria, and form an impressive mosaic of unique subgroups (Mambilla, Mambere, Nor, Torbi, Lagubi, Tagbo, Tongbo, Bang, BleJuli, Bea, etc.). The word "Mambila (or Mambilla)" actually means "Men" in the Fulani language.
Although they believe in a single creator God, called Chang or Namma, depending on the group, and although they are often influenced by Islam, which has a strong presence in their regions, the Mambila worship only their ancestors. Each group and subgroup has its own guardian ancestor. Mambila chiefs are "buried" separately from the rest of the village's dead in a kind of granary, much like granaries, where masks and statues are also hidden from the women's view.

The Tadep belonged to a society dedicated to therapeutic purposes: the "Suaga".

Cf: Lexikon Afrikanische Kunst und Kultur, Karl-Ferdinand Schaedler, page 269