African Senufo Rhythm Pounder

African Senufo Rhythm Pounder
This is a beautiful rhythm pounder in the shape of a male Figure (Doogele or Poro Piibele) in excellent condition with no breaks or repairs with an excellent patina and the male figure has facial, leg, and side tattoos carved into him. Stands 18 inches high. Rhythm pounders were principally used during funerals. As the corpse was carried to the burial ground, elders would pound on the ground with the figures, ritually purifying the pathway for the deceased and calling ancestral spirits. Paired figures usually are emblems of marriage but may represent twins or singular Rythym pounders symbolize a primordial founding ancestor. Rhythm pounders are owned by a small subgroup of artisans, the Celibele, who make a living as rope makers and tanners. This piece comes from Burkina Faso, geography Mali, or geography Côte d’Ivoire This is from the Senufo tribe or the Kulibele subgroup. This particular piece is late 19th century or early 20th Provenance: Comes from a local estate that collected primarily Senufo and other African tribal artifacts.