Altar hook, Dogon, Mali - Lot 179

Lot n° 179
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Estimation :
300 - 400 EUR
Altar hook, Dogon, Mali - Lot 179
Altar hook, Dogon, Mali 19th - early 20th century Wrought iron H. 37 cm Bibliography : Dieterlen Germaine, "Note sur le totémisme dogon" In: L'Homme, 1962, tome 2 n°1. pp. 106-110. Griaule Marcel, "Blasons totémiques des Dogon", In: Journal de la Société des Africanistes, 1937, tome 7, fascicule 1. pp. 69-78. *Lambert, Yves. La naissance des religions. From prehistory to universalist religions. Armand Colin, 2007. The institution of the binou is based on the principle of totemism and governs Dogon clan organizations, maintaining the balance between the human world and bush spirits. According to the totemic ancestor from whom it is descended, each lineage must respect a prohibition related to the plant or animal world. This totemic ancestor is worshipped in a sanctuary, where the binou priest conducts scarification rituals during which the walls and facade are covered with symbolic motifs painted in millet porridge, representing totemic crests. Among the binou priest's attributes are the gobo cult iron hooks, planted in the sanctuary's pediment to evoke the sacred role of blacksmiths, whose "privileged status is legitimized by the myths attributing the introduction of cereals and agriculture to their ancestor". Our hook features the classic characteristics of the corpus: a long, straight wrought-iron stem, extended by three curved branches at the end of which hang small bells.
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