African Arts Gallery

Crew made up of mythical subjects associated with the "nommos", their boat taking the shape of a crocodile. This imaginary world, taken from the legends of Dogon creation, inspires the work of Dogon artisans. Gray-green patina.
Dogon blacksmiths form an endogamous caste among the Dogon called irim. Today they produce weapons, tools, and also work wood. “Masters of fire” associated in Dogon cosmogony with the primordial beings “Nommo” created by the god Ama, they are also supposed to treat burns. Small metal objects, made using the lost wax technique, were widespread in the Inner Niger Delta region, with copper arriving there through trans-Saharan trade. Excavations on the Bandiagara plateau have in fact uncovered remains of iron and steel sites dating from before the 15th century, the date of the arrival of the Dogon. The Nommo, a protective ancestor evoked in different forms in Dogon iconography, would be an ancestor gifted with the ability to manifest in human or animal form.