A LEGA MASK, of oval form with truncated top, raised rims to the slit eyes, narow nose and small mouth with notched lips, the cheeks with two and three vertical lines respectively, notched brows, kaolin patina with darkened rim, attached fibre beard

The following twenty-one lots comprise a group of objects from different sources carved by the Lega (Warega) peoples, and neighbouring groups who are influenced by Lega culture, for use in the rites of the bwami association. The moral philosophy of bwami is peace loving - it stands for moderation. The heirarchy is divided into ranks which may be further subdivided in different areas, but the use of objects carved in ivory (and some wooden ones) is restricted to members of the two highest grades, yanino and kindi. A kindi is not a ruler, a chief or an autocrat, he is "the great one who is known among the good ones". The objects are transferred and inherited, owned and kept in trusteeship by members of the bwami. Daniel Biebuyck, who has written the definitive work on the Lega (1973), talks also of the Lega's belief in life force, a concept that fascinated the late Bill Fagg. Biebuyck (p.53) writes This force is undefined and diffuse. Although its nature is unspecified, it is present in everything ... The ivory statues used by the Bwami association contain a force of their own, and their owners consume some of the dirt rubbed off the surface as the ultimate means of warding off disease. Later he writes (p.60) of how the Europeans who lived among the Lega generally appreciated their qualities of gentleness, poise and wisdom, although in certain areas they were sporadically persecuted from 1914 to 1930. Bwami is not a secret association in that membership is open to all, but as an individual progresses up the ranks his comprehension increases. The statues, masks and other artefacts (claws, shells, stones etc.) are kept in bags and baskets, and represent proverbs, the meanings of which must be interpreted. The semantics are usually incomprehensible to an outsider, and, just as the structure of the association can vary from district to district, so can the interpretations placed upon carvings. Nicolas de Kun (1966), who also worked among the Lega and collected a number of artefacts, gives a brief outline of bwami and discusses their art. He writes (p.70) that the dotted circlet motif evokes beauty and strength

Lot Essay

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