Sénoufo Maternity

Representation of “Kaatyeleoo” (the old woman), mythical ancestor of the Sénoufo, in the traditional form of a “Motherhood” in Sénoufo Art from Ivory Coast. Condensing the qualities of the ideal mother, she “absorbs” the young uninitiated to make them reborn as complete beings, after having nourished them with the milk of knowledge. This sculpture emanates almost naturally a lot of dignity and serenity linked to its function. The scarifications worn by this figure of “Kaatyeleoo” are distinctive signs of his rank referring to the initiation rite of the Poro. She sits on a four-legged seat (the prerogative of female ancestors) and holds a baby in her arms. Its traditional hairstyle of the women of the Sénoufo people, with its two long side braids and its crest in the shape of a “hornbill” falling in a point on the forehead (third eye), symbolizes experience, wisdom and fertility. Dating from the middle of the 20th century, this example bears witness to the last generations of still traditional Senoufo art.