Tribal Art

Called boli (pl. boliw ), buffle, in African art, this fetish of varying size plays a central role in the ritual life of the Mandingo region. There are Boliw from handheld, and others belonging to chiefdoms, initiation societies such as the Kono and Komo whose members are progressing through a process spanning several decades, and even at Etats.La main function of a boli is to accumulate and control the natural life force called nyama for the spiritual benefit of the community. Used as altars or performed during dance performances, they are creations conceived from revelations miraculously granted to the geniuses of the bush and transmitted to the soothsayers, using active amalgams from nature and, or organic: daliluw . Animal bones, plant materials, honey and metal are clustered around an inner bamboo frame wrapped in a white cotton cloth. They are covered with layers of mud and clay, and on their surfaces accumulate sacrificial materials over time. Each layer of libation strengthens the spiritual power of the Boli and nourishes it somehow, reaniting its offensive and defensive power.
This imposing sculpture of a hunchbacked quadruped with an orifice has a thick dark, blackish and hardened earthy layer, imbued with sacrificial elements, on which light drippings are drawn.