Dogon female ancestor

Ancestor Niongom (Mopti region, Mali)

Before the 15th century, the Niongom occupied the southern end of the Bandiagara cliff, but from then on that region would register the massive arrival of Mandé refugees fleeing the forced Islamization to which the inner delta of the Niger River was being subjected. The Niongom were completely absorbed by the newcomers, but their imagery would end up clearly marking all the artistic forms of the Dogon.
These are (almost always) wood carvings of elongated and hieratic human figures, generally equipped with an arrow-shaped nose and very long arms that hang at the sides of the torso. Time and neglect also gave the Niongom carvings a characteristic eroded patina.

The figure we offer at Black Market shows all the characteristics of a Niongom piece, although it is unlikely that it was carved in the time of Mansa Musa. In any case, it is a beautiful piece.

Height: 52cm; Weight: 1.00 Kg