Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Talismanic Tunic
Not on view
In the untamed wilderness and on the battlefield, Mande hunters and warriors are exposed to prodigious quantities of nyama, the force that gives life to all living things and provides the momentum for all action. They assemble customized garments laden with horns, claws, strips of rawhide, and leather-covered amulets—each talisman is a dalilu, or precious formula for marshaling energy that its wearer acquires as a form of knowledge. Such a garment is continuously augmented and “grows,” protecting and enhancing the wearer’s prowess.
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