Female Reliquary Figure

This reliquary statue is essentially of the Ngumba style with some Betsi influence, notably the head. Its face is concave and heart-shaped with a protruding jaw, whereas the Ngumba face is full and round. The mouth, however, is in typical Ngumba style - rectangular in shape with its thick lips thrust forward and slightly open to reveal pointed teeth. The headdress is a flat helmet with three thick, flat, stylized plaits (ekuma) and a drilled hole at the base. A small stalk near the buttocks allowed for placement on top of the byeri box. The presence of cords suggests that this byeri statue was probably used as a puppet during Malan rites, when young initiates were shown the skulls of the byeri.