While the purpose for which such pieces created is not entirely clear, the rich patina of this Dogon figural group suggests a ritual function involving repeated applications of offerings and libations. Composed of a set of ten male figures arrayed around a central core and crowned by a top-like form, this work may have once adorned a shrine or altar created for communication with the ancestors of a Dogon lineage group or other supernatural powers. Dogon sculpture emphasizes angularity and rectilinear form. The Dogon artist who carved this altar group has reduced his subject matter to a set of simple, geometrical elements. The representation alternates between two styles, distinguished by the treatment of the chin and abdomen. The ten pairs of legs create an elegant pedestal, while the top is adorned with figures and decorations, including what appears to be a lizard at the very top. Additionally, there is a hole in the center of the piece.