Tribal Art

An ovoid object extended by a long ringed neck and surmounted by a stylized bird's head. The curved beak of the animal gracefully returns to marry the handle of the sculpture. Four sheep horns protrude in a star shape around the volume composing the base. The hole made on the neck suggests the initial presence of a carrying handle. This object would form a fetish object for ritual use. Matt crusty patina, cracks and crazing.
Total height including base: 85 cm.
The Senoufos, the name given to them by French settlers, are mostly composed of farmers who have dispersed between Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso. Councils of elders, led by an elected chief, administer the Senoufo villages. Governed by matrilineal traditions, they are composed of clusters of dwellings called katiolo . Each of them has its own association Poro which initiates young boys from the age of seven in a succession of three cycles lasting seven years. They gather in a sacred enclosure called sinzanga located near the village, among the trees. At the time of the death of one of the members of the Poro, statues named pombibele were exhibited. Although exclusively male, the Poro society actually pays homage through these statues to the supposed founder of the sinzanga The female society sandogo manages divination in order to appease the bush spirits, and also has statues. The statues deble , used by the diviners, represent bush spirits in human form. These spirits receive offerings in exchange for their protection from all kinds of plagues.