Fig. 14 : Funerary pole with a bird on top. This non-traditional sculpture, collected in 1998, comes from a tomb near Tonj. Its style is the result of several cultural influences. The portrayal of the shoebill, a bird found only in the Upper Nile, is a recent innovation. The bird played no role in Bongo's religion but is instead associated with Tonj merchants. Despite the fact that it has been used in sculpture for only the last sixty years, it has become the emblem of the province and appears on government buildings. This badly damaged carving is therefore no more than sixty years old.
