Initiation statue "déblé" - Côte d'Ivoire






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Description from the seller
Ivory Coast
Senoufo / Senufo
Dense and hard wood
Height: 550mm
Width: 145mm
Depth: 125mm
Weight: 2330g
Old tribal repair on the left side of the crest.
This work, 55 cm in height, actually belongs to the major category of rhythm statues called Deblé (or Pombibele, literally "the children of Poro"), used during ceremonies of the Poro secret society.
1. Stylistic Characteristics and Sénoufo Iconography
The statue’s geometric and slender aesthetics perfectly meet the criteria of the great mythical Sénoufo ancestors:
The pestle or massive base: The statue rests on a heavy, thick, circular pedestal shaped like a pestle. It is the absolute hallmark of the Deblé, designed specifically to be grasped by the arms and pounded on the ground.
The headdress or crown disk: The large flat circular element above the head is an extreme stylization of certain ritual hairstyles or sacred divination plates, here adorned with geometric motifs (zigzag lines, cross) symbolizing the forces of creation and the crossroads of the invisible world.
Arms in chevrons and the volumes: The arms form rigid, massive right angles ending in simplified hands placed on the abdomen or hips. The face presents a lean profile, a jaw projected forward (prognathism) and typical linear scarifications (temples, cheeks, abdomen).
2. Use Within the Poro Society
The Déblé statue is one of the most sacred objects of Sénoufo initiation. It embodies the spirit of a primordial ancestor.
The pounding of the earth (Funeral Rhythm): During the funerals of a Poro society dignitary, initiates proceed in a solemn procession. They hold these statues by the arms or the midsection and strike the ground rhythmically to the beat of the great drums and wooden horns.
The spiritual resonance: This heavy, repetitive pounding aims to awaken the Earth-Mother (Katyeleeo), to invoke the ancestors to receive the soul of the deceased, and to purify the village from the impurity of death.
Fertility cult: Outside of funerals, these statues used in agricultural rites help fertilize the soil before sowing, transferring the sacred energy of the ancestors into the nourishing earth.
Summary
This 55 cm statue is a Sénoufo Déblé (rhythm statuette). Representing a female ancestral figure with cubist forms surmounted by a large circular emblem, it was used by initiates of the Poro society to hammer the ground in rhythm during traditional funerals and agricultural rites, in order to purify the community, honor the dead, and solicit the fertility of the land.
Fast and protected shipping. Parcels are sent with a tracking number. Delivery in 1 to 3 days in France via Chronopost, 2 to 5 days throughout the European Union via Chronopost International. Delivery via Colissimo International to the rest of Europe and worldwide
We speak English.
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Seller's Story
Ivory Coast
Senoufo / Senufo
Dense and hard wood
Height: 550mm
Width: 145mm
Depth: 125mm
Weight: 2330g
Old tribal repair on the left side of the crest.
This work, 55 cm in height, actually belongs to the major category of rhythm statues called Deblé (or Pombibele, literally "the children of Poro"), used during ceremonies of the Poro secret society.
1. Stylistic Characteristics and Sénoufo Iconography
The statue’s geometric and slender aesthetics perfectly meet the criteria of the great mythical Sénoufo ancestors:
The pestle or massive base: The statue rests on a heavy, thick, circular pedestal shaped like a pestle. It is the absolute hallmark of the Deblé, designed specifically to be grasped by the arms and pounded on the ground.
The headdress or crown disk: The large flat circular element above the head is an extreme stylization of certain ritual hairstyles or sacred divination plates, here adorned with geometric motifs (zigzag lines, cross) symbolizing the forces of creation and the crossroads of the invisible world.
Arms in chevrons and the volumes: The arms form rigid, massive right angles ending in simplified hands placed on the abdomen or hips. The face presents a lean profile, a jaw projected forward (prognathism) and typical linear scarifications (temples, cheeks, abdomen).
2. Use Within the Poro Society
The Déblé statue is one of the most sacred objects of Sénoufo initiation. It embodies the spirit of a primordial ancestor.
The pounding of the earth (Funeral Rhythm): During the funerals of a Poro society dignitary, initiates proceed in a solemn procession. They hold these statues by the arms or the midsection and strike the ground rhythmically to the beat of the great drums and wooden horns.
The spiritual resonance: This heavy, repetitive pounding aims to awaken the Earth-Mother (Katyeleeo), to invoke the ancestors to receive the soul of the deceased, and to purify the village from the impurity of death.
Fertility cult: Outside of funerals, these statues used in agricultural rites help fertilize the soil before sowing, transferring the sacred energy of the ancestors into the nourishing earth.
Summary
This 55 cm statue is a Sénoufo Déblé (rhythm statuette). Representing a female ancestral figure with cubist forms surmounted by a large circular emblem, it was used by initiates of the Poro society to hammer the ground in rhythm during traditional funerals and agricultural rites, in order to purify the community, honor the dead, and solicit the fertility of the land.
Fast and protected shipping. Parcels are sent with a tracking number. Delivery in 1 to 3 days in France via Chronopost, 2 to 5 days throughout the European Union via Chronopost International. Delivery via Colissimo International to the rest of Europe and worldwide
We speak English.
mask african art Afrikanische Maskenkunst arte de máscaras africanas arte delle maschere africane
statue african art Arte de estatuas africanas arte delle statue africane Afrikanische Maskenkunst
