Tribal Art

Named Yo domolo , or Yo dyommodo , this ritual stick is the emblem of the association yona of the "ritual thieves". Its structure is similar to that of the domolo which Dogon men carry on their shoulders and which is sometimes found on altars and in binu shrines. The cane yo domolo is however more sophisticated, the specimen opposite evokes the stylized silhouette of a horse's head, a primordial animal of creation, whose erect ears are formed of small figurines, and the end of the stick a half-open jaw. Characters are also carved in superimposition along the handle, in reference to the "Nommos" of complex episodes in Dogon mythology. According to Marcel Griaule, this object is supposed to remind the Dogons of how the primordial blacksmith acquired fire, for the good of humanity, from the rays of the sun.
Dark, greasy patina with residual ochre incrustations. The Dogon are a people renowned for their cosmogony, their esotericism, their myths and legends. Their population is estimated at about 300,000 souls living southwest of the Niger loop in the Mopti region of Mali. The villages are often perched on top of scree slopes on the hillsides, with unique architecture. Remains of ancient iron and steel sites on the Bandiagara Plateau, dating from the 15th century, confirm the activity of blacksmiths. The latter form an endogamous caste among the Dogon called irim. Today they produce weapons, tools, and also work with wood. "They are also supposed to treat burns (Huib Blom).