Caloa Wood Sculpture

Superb sculpture of a Caloa. Grate above the base circa 1950. A rich artistic tradition was manifested among the Senufo through various African masks, anthropomorphic sculptures, everyday objects and statuettes embodying spirits of nature or divination. The latter benefited from sacrificial libations based on palm oil. During the rites of the Poro society, the leaders of the initiates also used statues of birds, sometimes large. Sober copy representing a bird with an arched morphology, whose long beak rests on a curved abdomen. Beautiful golden beige patina. Excellent condition. The Senufo, name given by the French colonists, are mainly composed of farmers scattered between Mali, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. Councils of elders, led by an elected chief, administer the Senufo villages. Governed by matrilineal traditions, they are made up of housing groups called katiolo. Each of them has its own Poro association, which initiates young boys from the age of seven, in three successive seven-year cycles. They gather in a sacred enclosure called sinzanga, located near the village, among the trees.