African Mother and Child Statue - Bangwa Anyi, Cameroon, Parastone African Collection

Bangwa Anyi Figure from the Cameroon Grasslands

This African mother and child statue depicts an Anyi, a Bangwa woman who has given birth to twins. In Bangwa society, the birth of twins raises a woman's standing to something close to sacred. She takes the title of Anyi, receives gifts of beaded necklaces and ritual objects, and has special wooden figures carved in her honor and in honor of her husband, who becomes the Tanyi. This replica is based on an early 19th-century original and captures the Anyi in the act that defines her role: seated on a decorated stool, nursing one of her twin children.

The Bangwa are a people of the Cameroon Grasslands in northwest Cameroon, part of the larger Bamileke ethnic group. They are known for their figurative wood sculpture, including the royal figures and expressive masks made for the Nkang, or Brotherhood of the Night. Bangwa carvers produced dynamically composed figurative sculpture in which posture, gesture, and surface detail simultaneously carried social and spiritual meaning.

The Anyi's authority extends beyond motherhood. She leads fertility rituals, dances at parties and funerals, and holds the recognized power to end disputes: by waving a branch of the Dracaena plant — the tree of peace — she can reconcile fighting parties. As her twin children approach puberty, they are set apart from the community for several weeks, rubbed with a red ointment made from sandalwood, and fed a special chicken dish while other Anyi women dance around their hut. The ritual closes when the father sacrifices a rooster and a goat, formally releasing the children from the world of spirits. The Anyi's closeness to that world is the source of both her authority and her responsibility.

This African nursing mother figurine is part of the Parastone African Collection. It is cast in resin with hand-painted details and a wood finish.

• Material: Resin with hand-painted details, wood finish
• Size: 6 in H x 3 in W x 2.5 in D
• Weight: approx. 0.6 lbs
• Collection: Parastone African Collection
• Product Number: AFR01

Attributes of the Anyi | African Mother and Child Statue

The African woman wears the specific markers of her title. Her hairstyle, bracelets, and a necklace of panther teeth identify her as an Anyi — in this sculpture, the necklace has been turned to her back, where it appears as a horizontal ridge carved across her upper shoulders. This detail is intentional and documented in Bangwa iconography: the panther-tooth necklace is worn turned back as one of the Anyi's distinctive attributes. Her seated position on a pedestal stool with decorative ring detailing signals rank; in the Cameroon Grasslands, carved stools belonged to important families and were not incidental objects.

African Nursing Mother Figurine

The front of the African mother and child statue shows a woman with a naturalistic, composed face holding her infant at her chest. The back view — equally detailed — reveals the full pedestal stool with carved rings, the ridged necklace across the shoulders, and the linear grooves of her hair. The resin cast with hand-painted wood finish reproduces the dark, textured surface quality of aged wood originals. At 6 in H, the figure is compact but fully realized from every angle.

Displaying Your Bangwa Anyi Statue

The African mother and child statue is self-standing and stable on a flat surface. Front and back views carry equal visual interest — the stool detailing, necklace ridges, and hair texture are best appreciated when positioned so both sides are accessible. It works well in a cabinet, on a shelf, or as part of a broader African or world-cultures display. Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth. Avoid harsh cleaners and prolonged direct sunlight. Lift from the base when moving.

For More Reading

• Nursing Woman with Child (Senufo) | Cleveland Museum of Art
• Maternity Figures in Traditional African Art | Be Primitive
• Breastfeeding in Art | Art UK