Wood Sculpture .. Seated Dogon Couple . Mali . Africa ..

sculpture of a couple of Dogon ancestors . according to Hélène Leloup . the “couples” of statues probably evoke . among the Dogon . a twin birth . they are carved during the birth of twins and installed on the altars dedicated to the Nommo . the first twins from heaven .. the sacrifices will keep the children in good health and allow the renewal of this honor .. here the man and the woman are on the same plane thus symbolizing the original image of the equality of the sexes . . the faces are serious . however the man surrounds his arm around the woman's neck, the limbs are slender . the rounded buttocks . the long abdomen is marked with a protruding umbilicus . chest high and protruding . the eyes are close together . the long nose ending in an arrowhead . mouth protruding open ..