Magazines - Tribal Art Autumn 2010

By Amy Page, a freelance writer who lives in New York, specializes in and is a longtime follower of the art and antiques market.

Introduction
A four-headed sculpture of a type known as sakimatwematwe (literally, “Mr. Many Heads”), from the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, recently came to public prominence when it fetched nearly fifty times its high estimate at auction in New York.
This rare type of figure always has multiple heads rising above an elephant foot and was made for the Bwami Society of the Lega tribe to teach social values. The Bwami is a voluntary communal association open to men and women who achieve status and prestige as they go through various initiations to reach the highest levels. The sculpture is allegorical and is associated with a Lega saying:­ “Mr. Many Heads has seen an elephant on the other side of the river.” The intent is that he can see the elephant and at the same time look behind him to call for help. Its iconography has been interpreted as anti-heroic, i.e.,­ that an individual cannot accomplish a difficult task alone and that it is better to be a team player. An additional interpretation by Daniel Biebuyck is that he can see in many directions and thus is a metaphor for the “wisdom, fairness, and omniscience of the initiate.”