Standing female figure "jo nyeleni" ·  Mali, Bamana · ID: 3035539

Description

wood, shiny blackish brown patina, remains of pigments, slender trunk with prominent breasts and extremely broad and square shoulders, the eyes originally inset with metal tags, coiffure with high forehead crest and several lobes, rep. (breakage at the right hand), missing parts (foot tips, neck plait), fine cracks, slight traces of abrasion, base;
“nyeleni” figures illustrate the Bamana notions of ideal feminine beauty and character traits desired in young marriagable women. Prominent breasts show the figure in its prime, able to bear and nourish children; the strong neck is associated with “honesty and integrity”. “Jo nyeleni” figures belong to the “jo” association. Most “jo” figural sculpture is used by the “numu jo” troop, the blacksmiths initiates. The “nyeleni” figures are either carried by the performers or placed behind them on the ground as a kind of backdrop. “Nyeleni” are said to increase visual interest, punctuating the performance and attracting the audience’s attention. They are “things to look at”. In performance they are adorned with loincloths, jewelry, head ties, or other items borrowed from young women in the village.

Comparing literature

Galerie Leloup, Bambara, Paris 2000, p. 75, ill. 27