Accession Number
1988/1.131

Title
Rubbing Oracle

Artist(s)
Kuba

Artist Nationality
Kuba (Democratic Republic of Congo style)

Object Creation Date
circa 1925

Medium & Support
wood

Dimensions
8 3/8 in x 2 3/16 in x 2 in (21.3 cm x 5.6 cm x 5.1 cm)

Credit Line
Museum Purchase made possible by the Friends of the Museum of Art

Subject matter
Small statuettes or rubbing oracles, called Itombwa or Itoom, were typically used by diviners to communicate with nature spirits or Ngesh. A small piece of wood was rubbed on the flat back of the statuette while questions were asked. Rubbing oracles were used to protect the community and resolve disputes. This particular oracle is in the shape of a crocodile, which is said to be an incarnation of Ngesh.

References:
Daniel Biebuyck, The Arts of Zaire, 1985
Roy Sieber, African Textiles and Decorative Arts, 1972
Jan Vansina, The Children of Woot, 1978

Physical Description
Horizontally positioned statue in the shape of a crocodile. The back of the statue is flattened with a slight concave in the middle. The body contains carved linear designs and the tail has a rectangular shape.

Primary Object Classification
Wood and Woodcarving

Additional Object Classification(s)
Sculpture

Collection Area
African

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
carvings (visual works)
crocodiles
divination objects
oracles
prestige
protection (maintenance function)