Large Mid 20th Century Tribal Senefo Female Hand Carved Maternity Figure 

Region: Cote D'ivoire Africa 

Height: 27" / 69cm

Width: 6.5" / 16cm

Weight: 8.40 lb / 3.70 Kg

For several decades I've a developed passion for and a trading interest in artefacts of East Africa and South East Asia. This artefact is part of a large collection that I’m selling to downsize.

The Senufo society is matrilineal. Maternity figures are carved representing the primordial ancestor - the mother of the village or Kan Tyeleo, the main deity of the Poro society. 

Senufo people are renowned carvers of wood sculpture, masks and figures. They live in a region that encompasses parts of the nation-states of Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Mali. They are also outstanding musicians, using marimbas, tuned iron gongs, and a variety of drums, horns, and flutes.