Bambara Standing Female Figure

Long face, steady stare, scarred torso. She has seen your house and made up her mind.

Bambara carvers of Mali, West Africa, made this standing female figure in iron in the 20th century. Bambara figures of women are often associated with fertility, lineage and the rites of the village associations. The body is a tall, narrow column, arms held close, with a patterned field across the abdomen that reads as raised marks or scarification. The face is long, with a pointed chin and wide, staring eyes. The dark metal has a soft, almost charred look, and the feet are big and flat.

Nearly 5 inches tall, though it carries itself like a taller piece. Place it where it can look back.