Bob Rizzo | home
Tribal items for sale
Prices do not include shipping, insurance & handling charges. We will charge only "actual" shipping charges.
All shipments are sent insured unless we are instructed otherwise.
RI buyers must add RI 7% sales tax to total price.
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Pende mask, D.R.C Congo
6 1/4" x 6 1/4"
$225.00
(Sold)
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Fang Vessel, Gabon
24 1/4" h- x 6" wide 7 1/2"
(front to back)
$400.00
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Hunters pipe - Mama, Nigeria
20 1/4" long -
$225.00 w/ custom stand
Traditionally gifts of merit are given to villagers who have performed in an outstanding way or have garnered tremendous respect from peers. The gifts are all carefully crafted and relate to the recognized achievement. For example the bravest warrior might be presented with a specially prepared shield and the best hostess awarded with a fine heavily decorated pot and so on. In this case the Mama tribesmen of Nigeria have crafted an elaborate bronze, wood and leather pipe for one of their most noted hunters. A hollowed out wooden shaft with a bronze bowl attached has been wrapped within a leather sheath and bond with leather strips. Ten individual bronze rings with well detailed heads shaped in the form of various antelope types and big game water buffalo have been securely fitted along the pipes shaft.
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Baule couple, Cote d'Ivorie
(female 12 1/2"-- male 11 1/2" tall)
$150.00
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Teke Fetish Figure, Dem. Rep. Congo
11 1/2" tall
$125.00
(Sold)
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Lega Mask, Dem Rep. Congo
10 1/2" X 8 "
$125.00
(Sold)
(Note: some insect damage to lower part of mask)
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Ancestor Mask, Sepik River
Papua New Guinea
22" x 13 1/2"
$325.00
(Sold)
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Turkana Shield, Kenya
24' x 6 1/4"
$300.00
(Sold)
A narrow, rectangular-shaped shield used by the Turkana and Plains Nilotes made from rhinoceros or hippopotamus hide with a wooden support pole doubling as a grip.
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Baule Mask, Cote d'Ivorie
12 1/2" x 6 1/4"
$200.00
(Sold)
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Fali Doll, Cameroon
w/cache sex arms & legs
16 /12" tall
w/stand- $350.00 (Sold)
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In Cameroon, when a young Fali man becomes betrothed, he makes a doll (ham pilu) from wood and decorates it with hair, beads, and other small objects. He then gives it to his fiancee, who wears it in a baby carrier on her back. The doll is a symbol of their marriage commitment and represents their future child. The man gives the doll the gender that he desires for his first-born. The young woman cares for the figure until the promised child is born; at this point, the couple carefully stores the doll away. ---From ISN'T S/HE A DOLL, PLAY AND RITUAL IN AFRICAN SCULPTURE (1996) by Elisabeth Cameron
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Medicine Holder, Dayak people, Borneo
Buffalo horn & wood
15" tall x 17" long
$300.00
(Sold)
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Bamana Door Lock, Mali
12 3/4" tall
$275.00 w/custom stand
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Dogon forged iron couple, Mali
12" tall
$275.00 (Sold)
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Hemba Monkey Mask
Dem. Republic of the Congo
9 1/2" x 5 1/4"
$175.00
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Bronze Impala, Tanzania
4 1/4"long x 5" tall
$125.00
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Old Bamana Lock - Mali
$225.00 w/ Custom stand
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Old BamanaLock - 19" H x 18 " W
$175.00 w/ Custom stand
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Baule slingshots - 7 1/2" Tall
$ 150 ea.
(all are sold)
The slingshots are carried by young boys for hunting birds and bats in the forest, sources of protein in places where that is often scarce. However, dangers abound, such as snakes, dangerous insects, and the rare predator. The slings are made, usually, by the father of the boy (though more wealthy families will commission one from a professional carver.) The carvings are talismanic, meant to protect the boy. Most carvings are of deities or spirits, often woodland spirits, which are always female and often red. European nail polish is a favored source of the red color. Masks abound, sometimes with the entire costume used in dance. There is a feeling that the mask carvings function best as protectors if they are facing the source of danger, and "right-side up," rather than upside down. For that reason, a sling will very often have two masks, facing in opposite directions; two masks, one oriented up and one down, or both. There may be up to eight masks, "to cover all the bases". Other subjects for the carving enhance hunting power or the chances of success. These include guns (or many types), soldiers, Christian religious symbols, or powerful animals (elephants, etc.) Occasionally, unusual subjects such as soccer players or soccer trophies will appear. The variety is virtually endless. The sling portion is usually rubber cut from old inner tubes. It almost never survives the stress of transport or the dry climate.
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