A superb Dogon ceremonial staff, made of wrought iron, demonstrating an exceptional level of artistic mastery and blacksmithing skill, from Bandiagara in Dogon Country, Mali. Incl. stand. This ritual staff made of wrought iron (often called “black iron”) is a highly symbolic work crafted by the master blacksmiths of the Dogon people in Mali. Its extremely slender vertical structure is arranged in a sequential and symmetrical pattern. The entire piece rests on a long, slender shaft of dark metal, characterized by a natural oxidation patina. Along the central axis, the blacksmith has split the iron to create openwork sections shaped like elongated diamonds. These sections lend a sense of lightness and a geometric rhythm to the structure. At several strategic points along the rod, pairs of metal branches extend from the central axis to form sinuous hooks curving downward, reminiscent of stylized horn motifs or altar anchors. The cup-shaped top, whose uppermost point ends in a small, flat circular platform (or cup), echoes the structures of ritual oil lamps or offering vessels. Toward the center of the staff, the iron elements become denser, evoking in a highly abstract and minimalist way a protective figure, reminiscent of the ancestral Nommo spirits of Dogon cosmogony. Just above the base, hanging elements shaped like small bells or metal strips are suspended from it, and the lower part of the piece tapers to a flat, pointed base, originally designed to be driven directly into the ground, onto a sanctuary altar (Binu), or into the courtyard of a dwelling. A portion of the Dogon live on the Bandiagara Plateau, Mali, a 150-mile high rise that supports a population of 250,000 to 450,000 people. Their history, knowledge of technologies, cultural wealth, art and even their oral legends are among the most involved in Africa, not least because the polity is essentially artificial and made up of various sub-units that, due to the proximity among the colonial administration were regrouped. They moved to this area in the 15th century, escaping the Mande Kingdom and slavery at the hands of Islamic groups. In turn, they drove out a number of tribes (including the Tellem and Niongom) who lived on the escarpment at the time. They are active as farmers and devote themselves to growing millet, barley, onions and raising various animals. A patrilineal, polygamous society organized around skilled trades. They had advanced astronomical skills, including knowledge of the fact that Sirius is a binary star (something astronomers with telescopes didn't realize until the late 20th century). Due to the high concentration of people in some areas of the cliffs, they have developed a social system based on the concept of "sewa", essentially a balance of social harmony in which all classes and groups recognize, thank and acknowledge the worth of all others. They are prolific in terms of artistic production, not least because they have mastered all the major materials used in traditional African art; Figures of stone, iron, bronze/copper and of course wood are all known, in addition to cave/rock paintings and the adaptation of more modern materials. Furthermore, their social structures are extremely complex (and variable - see below) and are socially signaled through numerous material signaling systems. Her profound opposition to Islam, which once sought to enslave her, is striking given their relative proximity and is evident in her defiantly figurative artworks, which of course are forbidden under Islamic law. Their diversity has presented certain challenges to Western art historians. Dogon art presents a broad range of object types and styles. Among the human figures alone, some are well over life-size, while others are barely a few inches in height. Their repertoire of gestures is also varied, and includes figures standing, kneeling, sitting, or riding, raising one both arms in a variety of poses, and holding or wearing articles related to their gender, age, occupation, or social status. In style they vary from full-volumed, sensitively modeled sculptures that are highly descriptive in their details to works that are reduced to abstract geometric shapes stripped of all but the barest references to human anatomy. The surfaces of Dogon sculptures also suggest that they are treated in a variety of ways and may therefore have a range of meanings. While some works are smooth, oiled, and polished, others are thickly coated with sacrificial materials, sometimes to the point of obscuring their sculptural form. The range of styles and imagery seen in Dogon sculpture suggests that they embody richer and more varied references than the simple identification as images of Nommo would encompass. Even if the ultimate meaning of Dogon art depends upon the concept of Nommo, as Griaule and Dieterlen and their followers propose, this meaning can only be enriched by adding to it the many other levels of meaning that arise from the particular settings in which the objects are located. The Dogon place wood figures depicting men and women on many different kinds of altars, most of which are dedicated to ancestors, either real or mythical. Although figurative sculptures, called dege, are perhaps the most interesting types of Dogon art, varied in form and rich in imagery, they are also among the least well documented. Few altars have been described in detail or illustrated; those that have been scribed do not suggest any consistent pattern linking a particular style of figure or a specific posture or gesture with any one kind of altar. There is also little information with which to identify the persons represented by the figures. Each lineage possesses an altar containing figurative sculpture, which is dedicated to its founders and to subsequent members who have died, known as vageu. In recounting the myth of the first person to die in human form, Griaule tells of how a wooden sculpture representing the dead man was carved in order to provide a support for his soul and his vital force (nyama), which were released at his death. The figure wasplaced on the man's rooftop terrace along with a pottery bowl for libations. As death spread throughout the land, similar figures and bowls were placed on altars established by each lineage (Griaule, 1938: 171-72; Dieterlen, 1941: 18,22, 140; also Desplagnes, 1907:273). Photographs and drawings of vageu altars show rather simplified, even cylindrical, stick like figures leaning against the wall of the shrine (Dieterlen, 1941: pis. Vb and Vc, fig. 10). Along with the figures one also sees pottery bowls and small cups in which sacrificial liquids are offered to the ancestors and small notched ladders so the spirits can climb to the rooftop altar; iron hooks (gobo), cylinders of red ocher, iron ornaments, and pots of roots soaking in water are kept there also and are used in healing. Sacrifices are performed collectively on all these objects at planting and harvest times, as well as by individuals who have inherited the souls of particular ancestors. The altars are kept in the ginna, orlineage head's house, of which there are several in each village. An altar can be found on the upper story of the house, in a corner of the living quarters, in the granary, in the courtyard, or even in a separate structure nearby (Paulme, 1940: 109-11; Dieterlen, 1941: 141-47). Litterature Frank, Eerhasrt, the power of iron, in Africa, paqge 63 ff. s. Frank Eerhart: "The Power of Iron in Africa", S. 103-105; Frank Eerhart Editions, Eindhoven 2012; Some of the information is generated by artificial intelligence and is based on published sources from the fields of ethnography, archaeology, and art history. The Power of Iron in Africa - A Collection without Collector M*A*Z*1*5*7*8*8*8* The seller guarantees and can prove that the object was obtained legally. The seller was informed by Catawiki that they had to provide the documentation required by the laws and regulations in their country of residence. The seller guarantees and is entitled to sell/export this object. 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