Central African Republic · Sacred / Ritual / Religious Craft Objects
Yanda (the carved protective-spirit figure, named after the tutelary spirit of the Mani society)
The carving of small wooden yanda figures by the Zande (Azande) people, whose territory spans the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic. Yanda figures are named after and represent the protective spirit of the Mani society, an association admitting both male and female members, first established in the northern Congo basin toward the end of the nineteenth century specifically to counter the authority of both royal chiefs and, later, Belgian colonial administrators -- both of whom, in turn, regarded the society as a subversive cult, leading colonial authorities to significantly curtail its activities in the early twentieth century. A documented example held at the University of Michigan Museum of Art, dated circa 1910, is carved in wood and finished with pigment, woven fiber, beads, and metal, measuring only 5 x 2 x 2 inches -- a notably small, portable scale distinct from the monumental reliquary and masking traditions documented elsewhere in Central Africa. Zande material culture more broadly is documented in specialist collecting circles as limited in overall quantity but highly prized, with individual pieces regarded as masterpieces prominently held in major private collections and museums.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Not independently inscribed
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