According to Hélène Leloup, writing in Dogon Statuary (Daniele Amez publisher, Strasbourg, 1994), the definitive work on Dogon Art: "Among the most spectacular sculptures we find the mysterious hermaphrodites. To understand these statues, one must clarify the Dogon concept of perfection deriving from the re-union of what was separated. For young initiates, these statues explained the necessity of the dualism existing in nature, the social differentiation between men and women, the distinction between the sexes - dualism one had to transgress in order to attain perfection and continuity in life. We have here the illustration of a typical Dogon concept: the male contains the female who also contains the male....
These atypical beings are said to represent the 'eight primordial ancestors, born of the couple fashioned by God (who) could inseminate themselves, each being double and of both sexes' (Griaule, 1948)."
Leloup illustrates four similar examples of this hermaphrodite ...
According to Hélène Leloup, writing in Dogon Statuary (Daniele Amez publisher, Strasbourg, 1994), the definitive work on Dogon Art: "Among the most spectacular sculptures we find the mysterious hermaphrodites. To understand these statues, one must clarify the Dogon concept of perfection deriving from the re-union of what was separated. For young initiates, these statues explained the necessity of the dualism existing in nature, the social differentiation between men and women, the distinction between the sexes - dualism one had to transgress in order to attain perfection and continuity in life. We have here the illustration of a typical Dogon concept: the male contains the female who also contains the male....
These atypical beings are said to represent the 'eight primordial ancestors, born of the couple fashioned by God (who) could inseminate themselves, each being double and of both sexes' (Griaule, 1948)."
Leloup illustrates four similar examples of this hermaphrodite figure, between 69 and 80.5 cm. in height, under the category "Bombu-Toro statue", all allegedly from the Southern cliff, the best two (Illus.# 74/75 and 76) "probably from the Yugo villages". According to her: "Mythical beings symbolize the human ideal (warrior attributes for men; procreation for women). These monoxyle statues are seated in a chiefly position on a stool carved in the image of the world. The two discs are connected by a central axis surrounded by caryatids. The bottom disc represents the earth and the top represents the sky...."
She continues: "The calabash with the long handle is the women's insignia (kozu) used to accompany the songs in rituals such as the one for lifting the period of mourning for important people. We can attribute this statue (#74/75, formerly owned by Jacob Epstein) to Niongom art because of the breasts falling from the neck-line and the almond-shaped eyes."
Leloup refers to other similar sculptures: "Which represent a seated woman on a stool with caryatids; she is holding a spoon and carries a child on her back instead of a quiver. These statues have protuberant breasts, the female sex is not always indicated, and the chin is decorated with a lip plug. It was called yomasaye and supposedly represented the big, all-powerful sister, healer and witch, holding the spoon of the ya-sigine. She is decorated with all kinds of scarifications; the hairstyle, a high crest sometimes adorned with copper plates and pearls, identifies her as a woman dispensed from daily chores such as transporting calabashes of water or food. Similar sculptures in different styles have been seen in several places, but they always stem from workshops from Yendouma, Ourou, and Yougo - 'that sort of holy city of the cliffs' (Griaule, 1938) - the village from which the Sigi departs, and whose neighborhood, 'Yougo Dourou', is known for its initiates highly skilled in witchcraft practices."
According to a Sotheby's expert, who cataloged an important but late example from the collection of Jack Naiman, San Diego, there are "thirteen similar statues representing a figure seated on a caryatid stool holding a tubular shaped object. Of this group the most accomplished one is currently in the Monzino collection. Others are in the Verité collection, the Ginzberg collection, the Menil collection, the B. Riese collection, the Rabut collection, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, ex. Wunderman collection and four in private collections." The same writer lists nine other statues "stylistically very close but without the tubular-shaped object in front of them", including ones in the Kerchache collection, in the collection of the University Museum, Philadelphia, in the Metropolitan Museum, in the Barnes Foundation and in the Kamer collection.
According to Hélène Leloup, writing in Dogon Statuary (Daniele Amez publisher, Strasbourg, 1994), the definitive work on Dogon Art:
"Among the most spectacular sculptures we find the mysterious hermaphrodites. To understand these statues, one must clarify the Dogon concept of perfection deriving from the re-union of what was separated. For young initiates, these statues explained the necessity of the dualism existing in nature, the social differentiation between men and women, the distinction between the sexes - dualism one had to transgress in order to attain perfection and continuity in life. We have here the illustration of a typical Dogon concept: the male contains the female who also contains the male....
These atypical beings are said to represent the 'eight primordial ancestors, born of the couple fashioned by God (who) could inseminate themselves, each being double and of both sexes' (Griaule, 1948)."
Leloup illustrates four similar examples of this hermaphrodite ...
According to Hélène Leloup, writing in Dogon Statuary (Daniele Amez publisher, Strasbourg, 1994), the definitive work on Dogon Art:
"Among the most spectacular sculptures we find the mysterious hermaphrodites. To understand these statues, one must clarify the Dogon concept of perfection deriving from the re-union of what was separated. For young initiates, these statues explained the necessity of the dualism existing in nature, the social differentiation between men and women, the distinction between the sexes - dualism one had to transgress in order to attain perfection and continuity in life. We have here the illustration of a typical Dogon concept: the male contains the female who also contains the male....
These atypical beings are said to represent the 'eight primordial ancestors, born of the couple fashioned by God (who) could inseminate themselves, each being double and of both sexes' (Griaule, 1948)."
Leloup illustrates four similar examples of this hermaphrodite figure, between 69 and 80.5 cm. in height, under the category "Bombu-Toro statue", all allegedly from the Southern cliff, the best two (Illus.# 74/75 and 76) "probably from the Yugo villages". According to her:
"Mythical beings symbolize the human ideal (warrior attributes for men; procreation for women). These monoxyle statues are seated in a chiefly position on a stool carved in the image of the world. The two discs are connected by a central axis surrounded by caryatids. The bottom disc represents the earth and the top represents the sky...."
She continues:
"The calabash with the long handle is the women's insignia (kozu) used to accompany the songs in rituals such as the one for lifting the period of mourning for important people. We can attribute this statue (#74/75, formerly owned by Jacob Epstein) to Niongom art because of the breasts falling from the neck-line and the almond-shaped eyes."
Leloup refers to other similar sculptures:
"Which represent a seated woman on a stool with caryatids; she is holding a spoon and carries a child on her back instead of a quiver. These statues have protuberant breasts, the female sex is not always indicated, and the chin is decorated with a lip plug. It was called yomasaye and supposedly represented the big, all-powerful sister, healer and witch, holding the spoon of the ya-sigine. She is decorated with all kinds of scarifications; the hairstyle, a high crest sometimes adorned with copper plates and pearls, identifies her as a woman dispensed from daily chores such as transporting calabashes of water or food. Similar sculptures in different styles have been seen in several places, but they always stem from workshops from Yendouma, Ourou, and Yougo - 'that sort of holy city of the cliffs' (Griaule, 1938) - the village from which the Sigi departs, and whose neighborhood, 'Yougo Dourou', is known for its initiates highly skilled in witchcraft practices."
According to a Sotheby's expert, who cataloged an important but late example from the collection of Jack Naiman, San Diego, there are "thirteen similar statues representing a figure seated on a caryatid stool holding a tubular shaped object. Of this group the most accomplished one is currently in the Monzino collection. Others are in the Verité collection, the Ginzberg collection, the Menil collection, the B. Riese collection, the Rabut collection, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, ex. Wunderman collection and four in private collections." The same writer lists nine other statues "stylistically very close but without the tubular-shaped object in front of them", including ones in the Kerchache collection, in the collection of the University Museum, Philadelphia, in the Metropolitan Museum, in the Barnes Foundation and in the Kamer collection.