Figure Western Africa; Nigeria; Mumuye Wood and White Pigment 24 3/4 x 4 1/2 x 4 1/4 ins. (62.9 x 11.4 x 10.8 cm) The Mumuye are well known for their wooden statues called lagalagana and serve as prestige objects. They have several uses: divination, apotropaic purposes (to ward off evil), as well as, rainmaking functions. Statues never represent a particular ancestor, but rather a spirit. The gender of a statue can typically be identified only by their earlobes, for in Mumuye society only the females have distended earlobes. The white pigmentation enhances the scarification around the face.