Initiation statue "déblé" - Côte d'Ivoire

Ivory Coast
Senoufo / senufo
Dense and hard wood
Height: 550mm
Width: 145mm
Depth: 125mm
Weight: 2330g

Old tribal repair on the left of the crest.

Senoufo female figure — Pombia / Deble

Examining the different views allows identification of a Senoufo female figure of the pombia type, also referred to in the literature as deblao (« rhythm pounder »).

Several elements are particularly characteristic of this corpus: the monumental female silhouette, the arms strongly detached from the body and terminating in heavy shapes, the geometric scarifications, the sculpted bracelets, the elongated face showing the teeth and above all the large circular disk placed at the top of the head, organized in a cruciform composition with an X motif in the center.

This combination is very close to the documented descriptions of Senoufo deblae. A source dedicated to a Senoufo debla describes precisely a female figure whose hands take the shape of farming tools and whose head is topped with a large circular disk adorned with geometric motifs oriented to the four directions.

Geographical origin

Ivory Coast — Senoufo region, Korhogo area

The corpus of large pombia/deble figures is mainly associated with Senoufo populations of Ivory Coast, Mali and Burkina Faso. The pieces kept in major international collections are notably linked to the Korhogo region and to villages in northern Ivory Coast.

Ethnicity / culture

Senoufo

The sculpture belongs to the visual vocabulary of Senoufo societies, and more specifically to art associated with the Poro.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art identifies the large male and female pombibele figures as major works commissioned by the Poro in Senoufo communities of Ivory Coast, Mali and Burkina Faso.

Type of object

Female figure Pombia / Deble

The term pombia designates a figure belonging to the corpus of the “children of the Poro” (pombibele in the plural). Deblées are sculpted figures with a heavy base allowing their manipulation and ritual striking on the ground during certain ceremonies.

The Brooklyn Museum houses a Rhythm Pounder (Siibele) Senoufo and notes that these sculptures were used during Poro ceremonies, notably initiations and funerals.

Artistic and stylistic description

The figure presents a very elaborate and highly geometrized construction.

The face, slightly prognathous, has a relatively short forehead, prominent relief eyes, a long narrow nose and an open mouth showing a row of sculpted teeth. Long parallel incisions run across the cheeks, emphasizing the graphic character of the face.

The ears, broadly developed laterally, are treated as geometric volumes and bear incisions as well.

The neck, cylindrical and elongated, provides a sharp transition to the torso.

The upper part of the head is dominated by a vast circular disk. This is organized by a cruciform composition: four relief bands radiate from a central circular area, while zigzag motifs are arranged in several compartments. The center features a deeply incised X motif, a particularly remarkable element of the sculpture.

The torso is elongated and highly stylized. The breasts are large and projected forward. The belly bears several groups of linear scarifications, while the thighs and arms also bear incised motifs.

The arms are exceptionally developed and spread widely from the body. The forearms terminate in large stylized hands, the ends marked by several parallel incisions.

The wrists bear two sculpted rings, while another decorative band is visible on the upper limbs.

The legs are bent and powerful. The thighs and buttocks are strongly modeled, giving the figure a dynamic posture despite its vertical axis.

The whole rests on a massive circular base, directly integrated into the sculpture.

Materials and technique

Carved wood, with pigments or surface coloration

The sculpture is made in dense wood, entirely carved in a vocabulary of geometricized volumes.

The surface shows a dark brown-gray coloration, with darker and lighter zones that highlight the reliefs, scarifications and the different anatomical volumes.

Symbolism

The representation places strong emphasis on femininity, motherhood and generative power.

The abdominal scarifications are particularly important. The Agnes Etherington Art Centre notes that certain radiating marks around the navel on Sénoufo female figures refer to the female condition and motherhood; they are associated with a conception of the woman as guarantor of the community’s continuity.

The monumentalization of the female body is also significant in Poro art. The Met notes that Senoufo artists frequently depict female figures larger than their male counterparts, which underlines the importance given to the feminine principle and the matrix of life.

Ritual function / use

The pombibele/deble were associated with the Poro initiatory society.

Their function was not merely representational: during certain ceremonies, initiates could seize them by the arms and strike their heavy base on the ground in rhythm. The Metropolitan Museum describes this practice during Poro funeral and commemorative ceremonies.

The Brooklyn Museum also confirms the use of the debles during initiations and funerals, and notes that the arms of certain pieces show marks of repeated handling.

The particularly massive base of your sculpture matches this functional conception of the deble.

Cultural context

In Senoufo society, the Poro constitutes a major initiatory institution. The pombibele figures are associated with the transmission of social values, the continuity of generations and ceremonies related to important community members.

The Met explains that male and female figures ideally formed a primordial neck, evoking the continuity of the lineage and the incorporation of the deceased into the ancestral world.

The choice of a strongly developed female representation is particularly significant in this context: the woman occupies a central place in the Senoufo conception of genealogical and social continuity.

Comparisons with museum pieces and documented collections

Several institutional pieces allow this sculpture to be precisely placed within the Senoufo corpus.

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art preserves a Female Poro Figure (Pombia) in wood, 88.3 cm, attributed to the Senufo and from the Mali/Ivory Coast area.
• The Met also preserves a Male Pombia (child of Poro) from Lataha, in the Korhogo region, and documents precisely the role of the pombibele in Poro ceremonies.
• The Brooklyn Museum preserves a Rhythm Pounder (Siibele), Sénoufo, 102.9 cm, from the Korhogo region.
• The Agnes Etherington Art Centre preserves a Female Pombia/Déblé figure of 116.8 cm and explicitly links it to the function of “rhythm pounder.”
• The Peggy Guggenheim Collection also preserves a Sénoufo female pombia figure in wood from Ivory Coast, 130 cm.

Bibliography / sources

• Metropolitan Museum of Art, Female Poro Figure (Pombia), Senufo peoples.
• Metropolitan Museum of Art, Male pombia (child of Poro) figure, Tyebara-Senufo.
• Brooklyn Museum, Rhythm Pounder (Siibele), Senufo, Korhogo region.
• Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Female Poro Figure (Pombia) or Rhythm Pounder (Déblé).
• Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Female figure (pombia), Senufo.
• Hartenberger World Musical Instrument Collection, documentation on the Senufo Déblé and its rhythm pounder function.

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