Wooden stool carved with figures forming six legs, and geometric zigzag designs on the foot and seat. This was made by Amadou Sagara, the blacksmith in the village of Idieli na. Decorated stools like this were carved by smiths or expert carvers and were a more ornate development of simple carved stools (see 2001.64).
Dogon stool, with six carved figures, possibly alternating female/ male figures. The raised arms (supporting the seat of the stool) recall the feminine figure found in the Dege sculptures or the raised arms of nommo (the first living creature created by the god Amma). The raised arms of a figure is often found and highly characteristic of Dogon sculptures – it has been suggested (Griaule and Dieterlen) that this represents an act of prayer, connecting Heaven and the earth, and therefore related to the Nommo. Other suggestions (such as those made by Leiris) refer to prayers for rain.
