![](https://vmfa-dmz-new.piction.com/piction/ump.di?e=CF9C5659E943A8926DD999E17F4C4EDD3841D15F3F81BE1B99FF5F8722EF663F&s=21&se=1106335411&v=1&f=xx84_81_v1_TF_201401_o7.jpg)
Headrest (Primary Title)
Unknown (Artist)
The large, upturned nose of the figure supporting this headrest is a Yaka reference to circumcision and manliness. For their rites of passage, adolescent Yaka boys go to a special camp where they are circumcised and learn the responsibilities of being an adult. The upturned nose, a symbol of male potency, also appears on Yaka statues and circumcision masks.
Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund
Fiktion Kongo, Museum Rietberg Zürich, Switzerland, November 22, 2019 - March 15, 2020
Spirit of the Motherland. Septemeber 1994. May 2000.
Spirit of the Motherland. Septemeber 1994. May 2000.
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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