African Arts Gallery

A slender figure evoking a mythical ancestor, a nommos, a primordial being in Dogon mythology. Reddish-brown patina.
Dogon blacksmiths form an endogamous caste among the Dogon called irim. Today, they produce weapons, tools, and also work with wood. "Masters of fire" associated in Dogon cosmogony with the primordial beings "Nommo" created by the god Ama, they are also supposed to heal burns. Small metal objects, made using the lost wax technique, were widespread in the region of the inner Niger Delta, copper arriving there thanks to trans-Saharan trade. Excavations on the Bandiagara Plateau have indeed uncovered remains of steelmaking sites prior to the 15th century, the date of the arrival of the Dogon. The Nommo, a protective ancestor evoked in different forms in Dogon iconography, is said to be an ancestor gifted with the ability to manifest himself in human or animal form.