Chokwe Female figure

This female figure with a criss-cross hairstyle is admirably modelled, with hands holding her beautiful carved belly, a serene expression on her face with her half-closed eyes, suggesting interior calm and promising hope for pregnancy or good birth. It is evident that although the specific meaning of the images may vary from tribe to tribe, and be associated with ancestors, or divination, they ultimately refer to human fertility and the future of the group that grounded in that fertility. (Warren 1974:386 as cited in R. Sieber & Walker 1987:31).