This elegant figure was created by an unknown Tabwa maker in the Lake Tanganyika region of southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It embodies the female ancestor of a Tabwa ruler. The creation of male and female ancestor figures by the Tabwa came about through changing power structures in this part of Central Africa. In the 19th century a group of elite Tabwa families gained leadership though their involvement in regional trade. As new rulers they wanted to prove that their right to rule was historically pre-determined so they commissioned local sculptors to create wooden figures that reflected their chiefly ancestry. A new genre of figure sculpture was established.

As ancestor figures these sculptures were passed down through the family. They were cared for by family elders who kept the figures in shrines within their compounds and made frequent offerings to them for the well-being of the family and its lineage. The figure’s powers could be heightened by being anointed with magical medicines by diviner-healers and they were used in a number of contexts: to protect the sick from evil forces, villages from unwelcome intruders and to ascertain the guilt, or otherwise, of a defendant.