Anthropomorphic figure "kafigelejo" ·  Côte d'Ivoire, Senufo · ID: 3037780

Description

wood, completely wrapped in rough-textured fabric (with sacrificial traces), elongated limbs, the facial features just indicated, min. dam., traces of abrasion, base;
the “kafigelejo” represents a dreaded spiritual being, said to have awesome forces in judging, punishing and imposing bad evil. The “kafigelejo” is said to be able to detect violation of unwritten rules of society and misdoings against single village inhabitants and to unmask the offender. Its name literally means “tell the truth”. The “kafigelejo” were kept in small huts and only the village chief, the sorcerer and few reliable persons were allowed to see them.

The object Anthropomorphic figure “kafigelejo” with the object ID 3037780 was last part of the auction 78th tribal art auction at October 18, 2014 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 245.

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Comparing literature

Burkhard, Gottschalk, Senufo - Unbekannte Schätze aus privaten Sammlungen, Düsseldorf 2009, p. 204 ff. Förster, Till, Die Kunst der Senufo aus Schweizer Sammlungen, Zürich 1988, p. 95