Buffalo pendant, Tussian, Southwest Burkina Faso - Lot 131

Lot n° 131
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Estimation :
180 - 200 EUR
Buffalo pendant, Tussian, Southwest Burkina Faso - Lot 131
Buffalo pendant, Tussian, Southwest Burkina Faso Late 19th - early 20th century Copper alloy H. 4 cm Bibliography : Petridis Constantine, "Buffalo Helmets of Tussian and Siemu Peoples of Burkina Faso", African Arts. 2008. Distinguished by their ornamental sophistication, zoomorphic metal pendants such as our object were intended to be worn around the neck or on the belt of members of the Do initiation society. These forged objects were miniature replicas of the large wooden masks and helmets produced by these same populations. They acted as protective amulets, as symbolically attested here by the carved bird on the animal's back, warning it of the arrival of hunters. Charged with both personal and collective symbolism, the object linked the initiate to his group and to the Do association. These stylized pendants draw their inspiration from the spiritual bestiary of the initiation society. The central element of these representations, the buffalo, called kap or kab by the Southern Toussians and kong by the Northern Toussians, is forged in the form of a stylized effigy with disproportionately large, curved horns, a body covered with fine geometric motifs, and a flattened head dominated by nail-head eyes.
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