BAMANA HAND FORGED IRON STAFF. (MALI, WESTERN AFRICA)...

Description

BAMANA HAND FORGED IRON STAFF
(MALI, WESTERN AFRICA)

The use of forged iron staffs made by blacksmiths is a very old tradition perhaps dating back to the 13th century among the Bamana and other Mande-speaking peoples. Staffs are admired as tangible proof of a blacksmith's great skill and revered for the power they embody.

The Bamana iron staff typically has a long shaft with one or more piercings whose edges are split and flattened. The shaft supports a very elongated male or female figure whose arms, held well away from the torso, end in greatly enlarged hands. There is little facial detail. An upright spear blade may rise above the figure, as here.

Although the meanings of these iron staffs are gradually being lost, there is still consensus that their figures represent ancestors or beings from creation myths, while spear blades are protective. Staffs are owned by individuals, families or associations. They may be family symbols of chiefs, displayed in front of the entrance to a chief's house for offerings made to the ancestors. They may also appear at dances to receive offerings that increase their protective power or augment the inherent power of forged iron. Staffs may sometimes be used for the protection of an entire community, placed in the crowns of trees or buried to exert unseen and pervasive protective power.

Height: approximately 50 inches

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