Very old African double Dogon sculpture - Mali.





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Holds a postgraduate degree in African studies and 15 years experience in African art.
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Description from the seller
Mali: Rare and old African double Dogon sculpture.
Hand carved from a single piece of wood.
Height: 40 cm (including the stand)
This Dogon sculpture dates from the mid-20th century and comes with a certificate of authenticity.
The 400,000 Dogon live 180 miles south of Timbuktu on the cliffs of Bandiagara, which dominate the plains for over 150 miles. They speak approximately 120 dialects, many of which are not mutually intelligible. Originally hunters, they now cultivate millet, sorghum, wheat, and onions on their small fields. The millet is stored in high, quadrangular granaries around which they build their houses. Due to the difficult access to these regions and the arid climate, the Dogon have remained isolated, allowing them to preserve their ancient religious customs and traditional methods of making tools, including their carvings.
Dogon social and religious organizations are closely interconnected, and from this connection, principal cults have arisen, which explain the richness and diversity of Dogon culture and art. The clans are subdivided into lineages, overseen by the patriarch, guardian of the clan’s ancestral shrine and officiant at the totemic animal cult. Besides this hierarchical system of kinship, male and female associations are responsible for initiations that occur by age group, corresponding to groups of boys or girls who have recently been circumcised or excised. The Dogon believe these operations remove the female element from males and vice versa. Circumcision thus creates a wholly male or female individual prepared to assume an adult role. Members of an age group owe mutual assistance until the day they die. The initiation of boys begins after their circumcision, with the teaching of myths illustrated by drawings and paintings. The young boys learn about the place of humans in nature, society, and the universe. In the Dogon pantheon, Amma appears as the original creator of all the forces of the universe and of his descendant Lebe, the god of plant rebirth. The first Dogon primordial ancestors, called Nommo, were bisexual water gods. They were created in heaven by the creator god Amma and descended from heaven to earth in an ark. The Nommo founded the eight Dogon lineages and introduced weaving, smithing, and agriculture to their human descendants.
Seller's Story
Mali: Rare and old African double Dogon sculpture.
Hand carved from a single piece of wood.
Height: 40 cm (including the stand)
This Dogon sculpture dates from the mid-20th century and comes with a certificate of authenticity.
The 400,000 Dogon live 180 miles south of Timbuktu on the cliffs of Bandiagara, which dominate the plains for over 150 miles. They speak approximately 120 dialects, many of which are not mutually intelligible. Originally hunters, they now cultivate millet, sorghum, wheat, and onions on their small fields. The millet is stored in high, quadrangular granaries around which they build their houses. Due to the difficult access to these regions and the arid climate, the Dogon have remained isolated, allowing them to preserve their ancient religious customs and traditional methods of making tools, including their carvings.
Dogon social and religious organizations are closely interconnected, and from this connection, principal cults have arisen, which explain the richness and diversity of Dogon culture and art. The clans are subdivided into lineages, overseen by the patriarch, guardian of the clan’s ancestral shrine and officiant at the totemic animal cult. Besides this hierarchical system of kinship, male and female associations are responsible for initiations that occur by age group, corresponding to groups of boys or girls who have recently been circumcised or excised. The Dogon believe these operations remove the female element from males and vice versa. Circumcision thus creates a wholly male or female individual prepared to assume an adult role. Members of an age group owe mutual assistance until the day they die. The initiation of boys begins after their circumcision, with the teaching of myths illustrated by drawings and paintings. The young boys learn about the place of humans in nature, society, and the universe. In the Dogon pantheon, Amma appears as the original creator of all the forces of the universe and of his descendant Lebe, the god of plant rebirth. The first Dogon primordial ancestors, called Nommo, were bisexual water gods. They were created in heaven by the creator god Amma and descended from heaven to earth in an ark. The Nommo founded the eight Dogon lineages and introduced weaving, smithing, and agriculture to their human descendants.
