Konso, Ethiopia
19th century
Wood
Height 63 3/4" plus base
Provenance: London trade
This tall standing waaka post depicts a male ancestor of the Konso people of southern Ethiopia, the figure rising from a dark, deeply weathered lower shaft to a lighter upper section where the head and body are carved. The head is surmounted by a tall conical peaked crown, and the face shows raised bosses at the brow, cheeks, and mouth area, with the features barely emergent from the bleached and eroded wood surface. The body below the head is suggested by shallow carving at the shoulders and upper torso, with the grain of the wood fully opened and the surface silvered from long outdoor exposure.
Waaka posts, also rendered waaga, serve as permanent memorials to specific named men of the highest social standing among the Konso, including senior Gada grade heroes, certain religious dignitaries, and accomplished warrior-hunters. They are erected outdoors and left to weather, so the bleached and eroded surface of this example is not damage but the expected and intended result of its function. The practice of erecting such posts is documented as far back as the eleventh century and continues as a living tradition.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Konso, Ethiopia
19th century
Wood
Height 63 3/4" plus base
Provenance: London trade
This tall standing waaka post depicts a male ancestor of the Konso people of southern Ethiopia, the figure rising from a dark, deeply weathered lower shaft to a lighter upper section where the head and body are carved. The head is surmounted by a tall conical peaked crown, and the face shows raised bosses at the brow, cheeks, and mouth area, with the features barely emergent from the bleached and eroded wood surface. The body below the head is suggested by shallow carving at the shoulders and upper torso, with the grain of the wood fully opened and the surface silvered from long outdoor exposure.
Waaka posts, also rendered waaga, serve as permanent memorials to specific named men of the highest social standing among the Konso, including senior Gada grade heroes, certain religious dignitaries, and accomplished warrior-hunters. They are erected outdoors and left to weather, so the bleached and eroded surface of this example is not damage but the expected and intended result of its function. The practice of erecting such posts is documented as far back as the eleventh century and continues as a living tradition.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
