Calling for Rain | A Praying Female
Though this carving is in the "Tellum" style, it does not necessarily come from the Tellum people who lived in Mali before the Dogon. The "Tellum" style is when a figure raises their arms in prayer for rain. This is combined with the Dogon gesture of closing one fist and opening another. The female figure may represent an ancestor, with her armlets and wristlets marking her as one of high status. This statue would have either been an addition to an altar, or an altar in itself for spiritual practices.
Dogon/Mali Culture
ca. 16th/19th century
Wood, Carving
Gift of Martha and Robert Fogelman
2008.2.133