African Arts Gallery

Carried on the head during the funeral of women, this type of statues could be seen by the public. Apart from the ceremonies, they remained under the care of the dean of women. Characterized by its slender forms, breastfeeding her child in a seated position, this figure evokes the female ancestor and is invoked for the purpose of fertility. Libations have left this piece with a dull dark patina, abraded in places. Desication cracks.
Carved for the most part on order placed by a family, Dogon statues can also be the object of worship on the part of the whole community when they commemorate, for example, the foundation of the village. However, their functions remain little known. Alongside Islam, Dogon religious rites are organized around four main cults. According to Dogon cosmogony, the first primordial ancestors of Dogon, called Nommo, were the bisexual water gods. They are said to have been created in heaven by the creator god Amma and descended from heaven to earth in an ark.