AFRICAN DOGON BRONZE:ELONGATED MAN STATUE: METAL

Description

AFRICAN BRONZE: ELONGATED MAN STATUE: METAL
THE DOGON PEOPLE
Dogon is in the Republic of Mali. The Dogon live in the elevated rocky heights of
Mali's Bandiagara Escarpment. They rely on agriculture and manage to wrest subsistence
crops from poor soil in an area that receives little rain.
Dogon sculpture recreates the hermaphroditic silhouettes of the Tellem,
featuring raised arms and a thick patina made of blood and millet beer.
Title: AFRICAN BRONZE:ELONGATED MAN STATUE: METAL
- Height: 38 Inch
- Materials: Bronze or Brass
- Approximate Age: Unknown
- Other Dimensions: Height: 38.25  Inches
Base: 3.5 x 4 inches
- Overall Condition: Good
-Additional Information: - This bronze figure recalls the art and skill of the Dogon blacksmith.
- Such objects played an important role in Dogon religion and ritual.
-Such a staff would be placed in the Binu sanctuary, a sacred shelter where
the Dogon keep objects of magical importance.
- Forged iron or bronze staffs such as this were carried by important
individuals to indicate their social or religious status.
- Forged by blacksmiths, such staffs carried ritual and symbolic meaning in
the images worked in metal and in the material itself as the casting of metal
was part of Dogon mythology.
- Bronze or brass and also iron figures are identified with Dogon myths of
creation, as the blacksmith was one of the first primordial beings known as
Nommo created by Ama who is one of the major Dogon deities.
The identity between the Nommo and the blacksmith creates a bond and an
identity that gives the blacksmith special powers which include the ability to
call down rain so important in Dogon life.