A Senufo drinking vessel for millet beer, Ivory Coast, composed of a hollow rounded cave, on-top of which is sitting a small figure, arms in a horizontal position, shoulders back, a thick cylindric neck carrying an oval shaped head, with simple stylized features of a nose, mouth, falling eyes, no traces of hair; the instrument has suffered some damage, there are large cracks, sings of use.

"The Senufo peoples form a complex network comprising more than thirty subgroups with many local variations of language and custom. They occupy a large area of West Africa that spans the national boundaries of Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, and Burkina Faso. Senufo society is patriarchal; inheritance, however, is traced through the matrilineal line. Consequently, the primacy placed on women and their essential maternal role is often reflected in Senufo artistic traditions like this sculpture. The tyekpa association is part of a larger social organization among the Senufo known as Sandogo. Membership in Sandogo is limited to female members of the Senufo community. Senufo life revolves around the Sandogo society and its counterpart, the all-male Poro society. These institutions cut across kinship lines and household ties, creating a social cohesiveness that extends throughout the community.”

Source: The MET.

sold

Height: 40 cm
Width: 16 cm
Weight: 1,2 kg