Very rare African Pygmy Tykar Fertility Statue from Cameroon or Congo River Plateau. This small and unusual artwork representing a nature spirit linked to fertility has very geometric lines and a general design that indicates a heavy aesthetic influence from the Luba Empire. The use of these kinds of idols was widespread all across the Congo river basin from the East deep inner lands on the rain forests to the more West coastal areas of Cameroon. There are at least a dozen pygmy groups, sometimes unrelated to each other. The best known are the Mbenga (Aka and Baka) of the western Congo basin. All Pygmy societies are bantu language speakers and today their population is in rapid decline.  The Figures like this one for auction were revered for Protection and as Fertility Figures, which are also believed to benefit their Harvests. Antique Ethnographic Art and Tribal Collectibles.