Sénoufo statuette, Ivory Coast - Bronze - Height 17 cm

Late 19th - early 20th century - Collected before 1960, Provenance private collection, France.

The Sénoufos (those who speak Séné) are spread across three states: Burkina Faso, southern Mali and northern Côte d'Ivoire. They are farmers who grow rice, millet, maize, yams, manioc and tea, and take part in trans-Saharan trade. They don't live in the desert, but in the savannah. The objects made by the Sénoufos are used for ceremonies and agricultural, initiation or funeral rites. They are used to orally transmit the traditions and history of the people, and their founding myths, using these objects as cultural transmitters.  These objects shelter the spirits of nature and are also used by diviners and healers to call on their help. They enable them to interact with the "other world", the spiritual and metaphysical dimension.