Dogon "Fer noir" (Mali)

Dogon ancestor Bawulu wulu (Fer-noir)

Those who know about these things say that the complexity of the Dogon cosmogony has its origin in the revolts and mass migrations that followed the Islamization of the Sahel, a thousand years ago. In that period of change, people with varied languages, religions and origins converged on the cliffs of Bandiagara, fleeing the raids to which all those who resisted entering the house of Islam were subjected.
This concentration, a reflection of the linguistic and cultural plurality of the immense Niger River basin, led to a process of syncretism that superimposed several traditions on the basis of Tellem customs (the pre-Dogon people who lived in Bandiagara). This would justify, for example, the Dogon linguistic diversity (up to twenty different languages, including a secret language -Sigui So- practiced by the initiates of the Awa mask society) and the difficulty of placing it within the Niger-Congo language group. for combining characteristics of the Kwa, Mandé or Gur languages.
In the same way that languages ended up overlapping, legends and legendary characters did too: Bawulu wulu, a blind female spirit with four arms who stars in several Bamana stories and legends, also has her place in the Dogon pantheon as an ancestor. capable of building termite mounds and transporting incredible weights.
The fer-noir that we present is an ancient blacksmith's work dedicated to that female character, half human, half insect, whose four hook-shaped hands allow her to carry out almost impossible tasks.

Height: 31.0 cm; Width: 14.0cm; Weight: 0.45 Kg