Senufo figures vary a great deal, but nevertheless
can be identified by their heart-shaped faces,
arrow shaped noses and crescent coiffures.
Among the most famous statues of African art
are a series known as the Pombibele, those who
give birth. This large sculpture, appropriately
enough in the form of a woman, would have
been used during the funeral ceremonies of Poro
members, a male "secret" society, headed by the
village elders, where the sacred knowledge of
manhood is transferred to young initiates. In the
southern Senufo area, these statues are carried
and then pounded on the ground, providing
rhythm for the dancers.
This sculpture is the representation of an
idealized woman. Her elongated, sinuous forms
are based upon the ideals of femininity. Her face
appears like a typical Senufo mask with its semi-
circular eyes and pointed chin with protruding
mouth and exposed teeth. Ritualistic
scarifications cover her body including her
cheeks, shoulders, sagging breasts, the sides of
her torso and her back, as well as the area
around her navel and her buttocks. This
extraordinary sculpture is a masterpiece of
African art. The forms and composition of the
figure are just the beginning of its beauty. For in
this work, form and function are intertwined.
Funeral ceremonies, while generally somber
occasions, can also become celebrations of life
as this sculpture implies. We can hear the beat
of its pounding, we can picture the dancers, we
can sense something greater than our eyes
behold.
- (PF.5721)
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