Although these Bembe standing male figures share such formal affinities as flexed legs, forward reaching shoulders, erect heads, and emblems of power gripped firmly in both hands, each is distinct in its hairstyle and the marks upon its torso. The raised patterns adorning their bodies identify the person represented and, at the same time, announce his social status. Figures such as these once contained the breath of an ancestor and allowed the living to remember and honor the accomplishments of their predecessors.