Dogon (Dogo, Habbé, Kado, Kibisi, Tombo), Mali & Burkina Faso

Bulu rite figurine. The 250,000 Dogon live 180 miles south of Timbuktu on the cliffs of Bandiagara, which dominate the plains for over 150 miles. Because of the difficult approach to these regions and the aridity of the climate, the Dogon have been isolated and hence were able to conserve their ancient religion. On their small fields they cultivate millet, sorghum, wheat, and onion exported throughout the Sudan region. Like so many agricultural people of Africa, the land and its bounty plays an important part in the religious views of the Dogon. The lebe cult is primarily concerned with agricultural renewal, and altars devoted to it have bits of earth incorporated into them to encourage the continued fertility of the land. The most important agricultural rite is the bulu, which immediately precedes the first rains and planting. This figurine is related to the bulu rite.

Material: African bronze

Size:   H. 11”, W. 2”, D. 2”