Bracelet: Seated Figure (Dyongou Serou)

A European visitor to Dogon country early in the 20th century wrote of the "astonishing perfection" of the ornaments created by local blacksmiths through the lost-wax process.


While copper-alloy ornaments have been created in the Dogon area for almost a millennium, exact dating of these miniatures remains largely speculative, established on the basis of stylistic analysis. Interestingly, there is no evidence of copper mining in the region. The metal may have been obtained through trans-Saharan trade networks that brought copper from Spain, North Africa, and the Sahara to commercial centers of the Sahel and Sudan.


In Dogon thought, copper shares the essence of Nommo, a mythological being that represents order, purity, fertility, and life. These miniature sculptures are ritual objects placed on personal altars in order to localize the spiritual power of the ancestor to whom the altar is dedicated. The fact that copper is associated with Nommo enhances their ability to balance the negative forces controlled through shrines and altars.