ngunja (carved chair), unrecorded Chokwe artist

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unrecorded Chokwe artist, ngunja (carved chair)
unrecorded Chokwe artist, ngunja (carved chair)
unrecorded Chokwe artist
ngunja (carved chair)
late 1800s–1914
unrecorded Chokwe artist, artist
ngunja (carved chair), late 1800s–1914
Where object was made: Angola
Material/technique: carving; staining; antelope hide; plant fiber; wood
Credit line: Gift of Claude D. Brown
Accession number: 2007.3160
Not on display
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Archive label, date unknown:
SNAKE
The coil on the back of this throne represents the great serpent Tshyanga Ngombe, who, in the origin myth of the Chokwe world, mated with Nzaji, the lightning, thus forming the primordial couple. The serpent created all things on earth and from her the Chokwe are descended. Tshyanga Ngombe is the all-encompassing fertility symbol. She holds sway over all the earth, the things under the earth, the waters, and all living things.