Standing figure of a "hermaphrodite"

Description

wood, blackish brown patina, encrusted in some areas, combining male attributes (beard) and female (breasts, accentuated navel, the gesture of the hands resting on the abdomen in a protective manner) , the elongated head shows Djennenké scarifications on the temples in form of vertical rectangles, dam., missing parts (base, right arm), traces of weathering and insect caused damage, rest., on block-like base;
the actual function cannot clearly be determined. There are various possibilites: it could be the depiction of a “binu” priest. Because the “binu” possesses the sum of the female figure and of the masculine, thus highlighting the duality of “binu”, both woman and man, perfect symbol of the hermaprhodite. It might as well have been used on a “yaipilu” shrine, dedicated to the souls of women who died during pregnancy and childbirth. The encrusted patina deriving from sacrificial offerings point to the “vageu” figure type, which was placed on family altars. Sacrificial liquids were poured on the figural sculptures: including the blood of chickens, sheep, and goats, millet porridge, mixtures of various fruit and plant juices etc. These sacrificial materials are vehicles for “nyama”, the vital force that determines a persons mental and physical well-being.

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