When Kaseya Tambwe Makumbi first sculpted a mother-and-child figure for the rooftop of a Pende chief’s ritual house, his choice of subject revolutionized the art form. Previous rooftop figures had been much less naturalistic and had never so explicitly depicted women as mothers. Although the artist was inspired by Catholic images of the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus, the chiefs he worked for saw a reflection of the traditional nurturing power of Pende leaders. Said one such chief, Kingange, in 1960: “I am their mother. That’s why it [his rooftop figure] represents a mother and child: I gave birth to [the community]."