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Early Tellem Wooden Burial Headrest Antique African Art - Tribal Furniture - Mali
An Early Tellem Burial Headrest, Fine Encrustation over Incised Designs Antique African Art - Tribal Funerary Sculpture / Prestige Object - Mali
Collected from the: Dogon peoples in the Sanga region of Mali, West Africa - production and use has been archaeologically attributed to the Tellem Material: Carved wood, fine encrustation throughout Period: Estimated at 11th to 13th century, please see explanation following photos Dimensions: 12.25" length, 5.25" height, 4" width; weight is 1.25 pounds Condition: Excellent. Held in a private Parisian collection, the condition of this exquisite specimen remains unchanged since it's late 1940's field acquisition. Remarkably well preserved and intact, earlier indigenous repair to age crack at back right base and minute age fissures all test stable, two small nicks to the outer upper platform edge apparently occurred early on, considering the patination present, very fine encrustation indicative of lengthy burial throughout.
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Information on Dogon Tellem Headrests Until recently, it was thought that the headrests were sculpted by both the Tellem and the Dogon. However, the Dogon of today do not use headrests for sleeping, nor as grave gifts in burial caves. After extensive archaeological field studies, Bedaux (1974) concluded that headrests were used by the Tellem as grave gifts between the 11th and 14th centuries, based on studies of forty-seven wooden and twelve iron headrests excavated from Tellem burial caves near Sanga. C-14 studies and other archaeological evidence demonstrated that wooden headrests were used in Tellem burial caves from the 11th through 13th centuries with Tellem iron headrests being used during the 14th century in a votive fashion. Nothing can be said about whether or not these or similar headrests were used for sleeping by the Tellem though, based on the evidence presented, Bedaux determined that headrests were not employed for each burial as headrests were found in only eight of the thirteen Tellem burial caves examined. And, in those caves where headrests were found, there were as few as one per every ten skeletons. The reasons for this are obscure. Bedaux theorized that only persons of certain social status received grave gifts, including headrests, which may well account for the low ratio of headrests to skeletons. Bedaux classified the forty-seven headrests excavated into three broad categories that he termed I, II and III though only three of the Type I examples were found, far too few to draw any conclusions about their use. The Type II headrests were simple in design, consisting of a rectangle or square tablet resting on a low circular base, which he believed were used for female burials. However, the Type III headrests, used for male burials, were more elaborate. They consisted of a concave rectangular tablet resting on one, two or more legs which in turn connected to an oval, rectangular or circular flat bottom. There was great variation in the form of these Type III headrests: some present a simple rectangular shape with low supporting legs while others consist of two rectangles connected by a large single supporting pole or several small supporting poles. The top rectangle was often markedly concave and rounded at both ends while others depicted representational forms such as stylized lizard, bird or horse heads on either one or both ends of the concave rectangular top. A number of geometricized forms were often present on the surfaces of these headrests. See Imperato?s Dogon Cliff Dwellers for further details on these fascinating cultures.
Tribal History The 300,000 Dogon inhabit approximately 700 villages in Mali, primarily along a 125 mile (200 kilometer) stretch of escarpment known as the Cliffs of Bandiagara. These sandstone cliffs run from southwest to northeast, roughly parallel to the Niger River, and attain heights up to 2000 feet 600 meters (2000 feet). Accounts of early Dogon history vary according to the specific Dogon clan and/or archaeological records consulted, with multiple versions of the Dogon origin myth as well as differing accounts of their migration from early ancestral homelands to the Bandiagara region. The people call themselves 'Dogon' or 'Dogom', but in the older literature they are most often called Habe, a Fulbe word meaning 'stranger' or 'pagan'. Certain theories suggest the tribe descended from an ancient Egyptian race that journeyed first to Libya, then on into regions of Guinea or Mauritania. Around 1490 AD, fleeing Mande invaders and/or drought, they migrated to eventually settle in the Bandiagara cliffs of central Mali. Legend has it that a snake led them to the cliffs at the southern end of the plateau, where they overwhelmed and usurped the local Tellem and Niongom populations. Carbon dating on remains excavated from the cliffs indicate the Toloy culture of the 3rd to 2nd centuries BC, and the Tellem culture of the 11th to 15th centuries AD inhabited the area long before the Dogon arrived. The influence of these earlier cultures continue to be noted in Dogon art to this day.
Dogon livelihood is based on agriculture production concentrated in fields at the edge of the cliffs where water is scarce, but enough for occasional irrigation. Agricultural dependence has recently forced the Dogon to move away from their beloved cliffs onto the more fertile Bongo plains to maintain their agricultural production of millet, of vital importance to feeding the tribes. Onions, one of their only cash crops, are sold as far away as Cote d'Ivoire. Villagers are known to use bark ropes to scale the towering Bandiagara cliffs in search of pigeon guano and Tellem artifacts that are then sold to subsidize their meager existence. As the Dogon are both Muslims and Animists, their social and religious organizations are closely interlinked. Assimilation of the popular Muslim beliefs was initially somewhat limited by topographical isolation and tribal exclusivity. The four principle Dogon cults of the Awa, Lebe, Wagem, and Binu, significantly contribute to the richness and diversity of Dogon culture. For these various cults the hogon is both priest and political chief of the village. The tribe?s self-defense comes primarily from their social solidarity which is based on a complex combination of philosophic and religious dogmas, with the fundamental law being the worship of ancestors. Ritual masks and corpses were enshrined in caves and used for ceremonial rituals. All Dogon villages have at least one togu na, a shelter where the men gather, and a Lebe shrine where the Hogon presides over their rituals.
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Please contact us immediately if ~ for any reason ~ you are not pleased with your selection. We will gladly refund the purchase price of any item returned in its original condition within 14 days of dated delivery. Our commitment to 5 Star customer service and satisfaction ensures that YOUR satisfaction is Unconditionally Guaranteed ~ NO questions asked!
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We're delighted to combine shipments and reduce your costs, simply email your Zip/Postal Code PRIOR to making payment. All major credit cards and PayPal are gladly accepted. Payment is expected within 7 days of your purchase. In consideration of discounts given, we respectfully request immediate payment on all Best Offers unless arrangements are made prior to acceptance. Please contact us directly if other payment arrangements are necessary - we're always happy to help!
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