Kouyou totemic figure #1

The mythical ancestor, with arms attached to the bust and scarifications. This African statue Kouyou is a totemic figure with three identical faces.

Polychrome red orange and black patina. Mid XX°.

Two totemic clans once formed the Kouyou ethnic group, a neighbouring group of the Punu in the Republic of Congo, west that of the panther and in the east that of the snake. A secret male association, Ottoté, played an important political role in the appointment of chiefs. The initiation of young men of a serpent God Ebongo is represented in the form of a head. The Kebekebe dances, which accompanied the ceremony, reactivated the successive stages of creation. The panther clan had a drum as its emblem. For its part, the snake had carved heads above his head.