Dogon House Post with Figure, Based

A forked post, deeply furrowed, with a small figure keeping to its middle.

This house post with figure is Dogon, from Mali in West Africa, early 20th century, in carved wood, and it stands on a base. Dogon builders use forked wooden posts to hold up the roofs of houses and granaries, and some carry carved figures or breasts, whose meanings scholars still discuss. Near the top, below the fork, a rounded breast form projects from the shaft. Lower down, a small figure is carved in low relief, followed by a blocky projection. Long cracks run with the grain, and the surface looks dry and worn. Seventy inches high.

No roof is required.