Standing female figure "jo nyeleni" ·  Mali, Bamana · ID: 3041508

Description

wood, dark brown patina, silver metal eyes, broad body with massive shoulders, reduced ornamental decor, proportionally small head with crested coiffure and C-shaped ears, slightly dam., minor missing parts (right ear), cracks, abrasion of paint, base;
“jo nyeleni” figures depict the ideal of a young woman in the prime of life. They are used in a seven years term on the occasion of initiation celebrations of the “jo society”. Within a space of six or seven months the initiates (= “jodenw”) pass through seven strictly fixed levels. The “jo nyeleni” belong to the sixth step, “jo yaala” - the so-called “jo promenade”, at which the “jodenw” carry the figures from village to village, visit their brothers and sisters, venerate the graves of priests and those of “jodenw” who already have passed away, along the way they entertain the audience with music.