KAKA

FIGURE

In the forested highlands south of the Donga River — now part of Cameroon’s Northwest Region — sculptural traditions developed among groups collectively referred to as “Kaka”, including the Mbaw, Mbem, Mfumte, and Yamba. The figures from this area often resist clear typological classification; regional stylistic traits are difficult to define. These male figures, known as enok ateng (“fighting alone”), were likely used in the context of spiritual healing practices. Their powerful form and tense posture identify them as actively employed ritual objects.

Commissioned by a healer, the figure was not meant to represent an ancestor, but to house ritual force — activated through herbs, sacrificial blood, and incantations. Its massive lower body and forward-leaning posture reflect its role as a steadfast counterpart in ritual, confronting the unseen.

Its aesthetic shows radical reduction and expressive tension — traits linking it to this distinct group of figures described by Susan Vogel as “highly abstract and dynamically conceived.” The nearly cylindrical torso bears a ritual scar, flanked by oversized hands with grooved fingers. The chin juts forward in a bearded point, and the slightly open mouth evokes what Vogel called a “screaming” expression.

The matte, blackened surface bears traces of intensive ritual use. Soot has collected in crevices, while worn areas reveal the glowing reddish wood beneath — whether from offerings or smoke exposure is uncertain.

This enok ateng is not merely sculptural. It is functional: a confrontation with invisible forces, captured in wood.

Cameroon, Northwest-Region, Donga-Mantung Department
46 cm, wood
Jean Chatelus, Alain Lecomte (ca. 2002), Christophe Evers, German Private Collection

PUBLISHED
AHRDRC: ao-0212962

LAST MARKET APPEARANCE: 2012
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