Former Pastor

Most Dogon statues symbolize the "nommos", spirits of ancestors. These figures are kept in sanctuaries and altars of sanctuaries. They are honored annually with ceremonies and sacrifices during the funeral celebrations organized for the occasion. They ask for their intercession in order to obtain good harvests, to promote the fertility of women and fields and to preserve them from the disease. Before being definitively buried the important characters their mortal spoils rest beside these statues for some time to imbue themselves with the spirit of the "nommos" and to be favorable to them on a journey to the hereafter.

Statue dedicated to the cult of ancestors. On the left shoulder hangs the typical shoulder of the shepherds while holding a staff in his right hand. This statue seems to come from Tin Tam, in the northeast area of the plateau. His face looks like an ovoid-shaped flattened beard. Brown crusty patina.