Object Details
Culture
Senufo (Ivory Coast)
Medium
Wood
Dimensions
9 1/2 × 3 1/4 inches (24.1 × 8.3 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Dorothy Brill Robbins, Class of 1933
Object
Number
91.099.002
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONThis wooden figure once adorned a staff, called a daleu, belonging to a master farm(…)
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONThis wooden figure once adorned a staff, called a daleu, belonging to a master farmer.WHERE WAS IT MADE?The Senufo live in West Africa, primarily in Mali and the Ivory Coast.HOW WAS IT MADE?This figure was hand carved from wood using tools such as an adze, knives, and chisels.HOW WAS IT USED?This sculpture topped the staff of a master farmer. These staffs with their carved finials are presented annually to the champion cultivator in the village. The ceremony involves a hoeing competition accompanied by singers and musicians. In subsequent years champions display their staffs at the competition. The staff may also be on display at the owner’s funeral. WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE THIS?Notice the high forehead, large eyes, full breasts, and delicate scarification on this figure; these features are considered markers of beauty among the Senufo. Many African peoples associate feminine beauty with fecundity and agricultural productivity. Here, the woman’s round belly, emphasized by the figure’s hands, symbolizes the relationship between competent farming and the survival of the clan.