Figurally carved door leaf "dégé tan" ·  Mali, Dogon · ID: 3049232

Description

wood, three parts, metal, base

This door once served to close a granary and its valuable contents. The carved rows of figures, which according to Leloup represent patrilineal ancestors, were probably intended to provide additional protection.

Every family has several granaries, one for each of the wives and the rest for the head of the family, in which are stored millet, sorghum, rice, corn, beans etc. Personal valuables and family altars were sometimes also stored in granaries.