Senoufo Fetish - Mali (No reserve price)

An elongated ovoid object with a long, knurled neck and topped by a stylized bird head. The animal's curved beak gracefully returns to embrace the sculpture's handle. Four ram horns protrude in a star around the volume that makes up the base. The opening on the neck suggests the initial presence of a carrying handle. This object would form a fetish item for ritual use. Matte crusty patina, cracks and craquelures that in no way compromise the object's solidity. Height: 61 cm and width: 30 cm.

The Senoufo, a name given to them by French colonists, are predominantly farmers who spread between Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, and Burkina Faso. The councils of elders, led by an elected chief, administer the Senoufo villages. Governed by matrilineal traditions, they are comprised of clusters of settlements called katiolo. Each has its own Poro association which initiates young boys from the age of seven through a sequence of three cycles, each lasting seven years. They gather in a sacred enclosure called sinzanga located near the village, among the trees. Upon the death of a Poro member, statues named pombibele were exhibited. Although exclusively masculine, the Poro society effectively pays homage through these statues to the founder presumed to be of the sinzanga. The women’s society, sandogo, oversees divination to calm the spirits of the bush, and also possesses statues. The deble statues, used by diviners, depict forest spirits in human form. These spirits receive offerings in return for protection against all kinds of blights.