Dinka Headrest with Turtle Motif

Someone slept on this, with a turtle holding up the weight of the day.

Dinka makers of Sudan, East Africa, carved this headrest in wood in the 20th century. Headrests across the Nile region are commonly used to lift the head in sleep and to protect elaborate hairstyles. A long curved crescent forms the rest, its tips shaped like small birds’ heads. Beneath it stands a carved turtle with a patterned, scaled shell, a pointed head and tail, and four short feet. The wood has a deep reddish-brown glow from long handling.

About nine inches tall and sixteen wide. Part furniture, part fable.