Nayei Society Figure

This is likely to be a Njayei, or Yasi in Bullom, society female figure, from a male-female pair; the male figure may have gone to another museum. She is wearing a piece of cotton wrapped round the waist, and two horns around her neck. The Njayei society is predominantly a Sherbro/Mende society that has its own source of spiritual power, called halei, that it uses to diagnose various kinds of ritual pollution and to purify those who have wittingly or unwittingly incurred pollution. A symptom of pollution is thought to be mental illness, Njayei is said to be specially empowered by its medicine to cure mental illness. It has both male and female members. This was originally part of the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum collection, originally acquired at Stevens Auction Rooms, London, in 1919. It was acquired by the British Museum in 1954.

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Further Information

• Type: Figures, sculpture
• Object: Nayei Society Figure
• Materials: Wood, Textile
• Culture Group: Sherbro, Mende
• Dimensions: 410mm[H] x 70mm [W] x 70mm [C]
• Production Date: Pre 1954
• Associated Places: Unknown
• Associated People: Wellcome Historical Medical Museum
• Museum: British Museum
• Accession Number: BM:Af.1954.23.3658

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