Armored Knight

The rider or knight in his saddle is a redundant theme in dogon art. In bronze, iron and wood mainly the knight and his mount appear in multiple forms, holding the bridle with one or two hands, one or both hands raised, with a spear in the hand or a hand raised in greeting or peace gesture are frequent figures in the dogon statuery. But not only among the dogon, the figures of terracotta knights riding on horseback are also very frequent throughout the curve of Niger. However, given the geography of the country dogon the horse is not a very representative animal of the place. The horse is frequently represented with rigid, straight and solid legs while the knight, whatever his position, transcends a halo of nobility or dignity. A rounded or slightly peaked beard helps to reinforce the figure's authoritative appearance. The horse in Mali has always been linked to warlike deeds and is related to warlords and military leaders. These figures are linked to the Hogon, the spiritual and religious leader of the Dogon, belonging to the Harou clan, one of the four original lineages of the Dogon.

According to legend the Dogon fled armed troops on horseback, cavalry of the army of Ouedrago or , first ancestor of the , and abandoned the territory they occupied in what is the current Burkina Fasso to take refuge on the cliffs of Bandiagara.

Also this associate, the horse, to the ark that, in the dogon cosmogony, descended from the sky suspended to a thread of copper carrying the first ancestor who transformed himself into horse to drag her to find the first rains that made her float like a canoe. The ark is depicted as a sort of rectangular arch with a head and a horse tail at the ends.

Stylized iron statuette that undoubtedly represents a Hogon in double quality as military and religious chief. These objects of local metallurgy were commissioned by the Dogon to the blacksmith to offer them to the Hogon, spiritual leader of the community, who rewarded donors and guaranteed their protection. This figure of man on horseback is a sober and stylized work, both the knight and his mount. The knight is armed with a short spear and a small shield.

The Hogon is the spiritual leader of the DogonTradition says that "the Hogon is like a son borne by the Nommo (the father of all men)" This is how the firstborn of the eight ancestors, sons of the Nommo, becomes the first Hogon "Amà Serù a lomos de Nommo". The Hogon is permanently a rider (horseman) mounted on Nommo, transformed into a horse. These figures were mainly used in divinatory rites.