Three-Headed Figure (Sakimatwemtwe)
Brooklyn Museum photograph
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The Brooklyn Museum is commemorating its 200th anniversary by spotlighting 200 standout objects in its encyclopedic collection.
This three-headed figure is called sakimatwemtwe, meaning “many heads.” The work would have been owned by a male member of the semi-secret Bwami society of the Lega people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This association’s teachings, which guide moral development and relationships with others, are represented through carved objects such as this wooden figure. The figure represents Kindi, a rank reserved for the highest-level initiates of the Bwami society, who are the principal visual arts patrons among the Lega people.
Deeply conceptual, the profusion of heads embodies complex and multiple meanings. This figure is the visual representation of the proverb “Many heads have seen the elephant across the large river.” The heads, therefore, represent equity, wisdom, and discernment, qualities that enable members of Kindi to see all sides of an issue and understand all things in their surroundings.
Object Label
This Lega figure is known as <i>sakimatwemtwe</i>, or “the man with many heads.” It would have been owned by a man who belonged to Kindi, the highest level of Bwami. The profusion of heads on the figure represents the qualities of fairness, wisdom, and discernment that enable Bwami members of this rank to see all sides of an issue and have knowledge of all things going on around them.<br />
Caption
Lega. Three-Headed Figure (Sakimatwemtwe), 19th century. Wood, fiber, kaolin, 5 1/2 x 2 x 1 1/8 in. (14 x 5.1 x 2.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.486. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 22.486_SL1_edited_version.jpg)
Tags
Collection
Collection
Culture
Title
Three-Headed Figure (Sakimatwemtwe)
Date
19th century
Geography
Place made: South Kivu or Maniema Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Medium
Wood, fiber, kaolin
Classification
Dimensions
5 1/2 x 2 x 1 1/8 in. (14 x 5.1 x 2.9 cm)
Credit Line
Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund
Accession Number
22.486
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
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