Shrine Figure
From private lender. Photographed by owner.
This wooden figure is made by the Dogon peoples of Mali. The figure is made out of wood and has been carved fairly accurate compared to the abstraction of many other Dogon figures. This
figure would have been placed on a personal altar and several animals would be
sacrificed as well as incantations, water and gruel pored over[1].
The Dogon Shrine figure serves several purposes. The object identifies the
person seeking spiritual intervention. Therefore the figure is made in the
image of the individual and not the spirit, and the sculpture draws the attention
of the spirit to the proceeding, because they are believed to have short attention
spans. Most importantly the object keeps in contact with the supernatural world
till the individuals problem is resolved since a statue is able to stay at the alter all the time as a person is not. The sacrifice is very important otherwise it
would just be another piece of wood. Too many sacrifices can become dangerous
so by having less frequent and less elaborate sacrifices the figure becomes
deactivated. The use of scarification enhances the spiritual power of this item
and allows for spiritual intervention.
[1] Stephen p. Mellor, "The Exhibition and Conservation of African Objects: Considering the Non-tangible ," Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, 31, no. 1 (1991): 10,
[1] Stephen p. Mellor, "The Exhibition and Conservation of African Objects: Considering the Non-tangible ," Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, 31, no. 1 (1991): 10,