Amulet with Miniature Blacksmith Tools

Dogon people, Mali, African

  • Titles Amulet with Miniature Blacksmith Tools (Descriptive)
  • Artist Dogon people, Mali
  • Medium iron
  • Dimensions 3 7/8 x 5/8 x 5/8 in. (9.8 x 1.6 x 1.6 cm)
  • Credit Line Gift of Mortimer B. and Sue Fuller, 2006.108
  • Work Type amulet
  • Classification Tools & Equipment

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Vessel cover dedicated to the river god, Erinle. Such vessels were used to hold "moving water" from rivers or the sea, but not from wells, Every sixteen days the water is renewed together with two stones taken from a river as symbols of Erinle. The stones are also considered analogous to embryos in the womb. Surmounted by a male figure with his arms around a bowl on a potstand, a salamander or other river animal is behind him, and ritual implements surround him.
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