Chokwe Mother and-child figure

This mother-and-child figure is coated with the red paddock powder, heightening nyama (source of life), as protection against evil spirits. The iconic formalism of maternity imagery usually conveys a sense of emotional distance of mother to child. It's likely, that their ritualistic nature and its use in shrines account for the formality of the genre; they are more symbol of fertility itself rather than particular mother (Cole 1989:87).