Gonzalez Perez (b.1949), Iyamba 2000, cloth, burlap, wood, cotton batting, paint, broom fringe, feathers,trimmings, over wire armature, 25" tall, Havana. Iyamba is the mythico-historical king of the Efo "tribe" in Africa. As the "Ultimate King" of the Abakua lodge, Iyamba is responsible for sounding "God's Voice" (ekue) through the sacred friction drum, also called Ekue, from behind a curtain in the inner sanctum of the temple. As Abakua rites and objects are highly guarded, members are not permitted to produce actual attributes for the uninitiated. They can, however produce replicas in miniature of their masquerades and other objects. Thus, the ireme doll continues a more than half-century tradition of Abakua practitioners designing these colorful figures for sale. Though relatively small, mass- produced iremes (diablitos ) have lined tourist shop shelves for decades in Cuba, this ireme is an exquisitly hand made, unique object from materials used in Abakua ritual practice.