Ceremonial Spoon or Ladle (Wunkirmian or Wake Mia),

Ceremonial Spoon or Ladle (Wunkirmian or Wake Mia)
Female Figure from a Karan-Wemba (Living Ancestress) Mask,

Female Figure from a Karan-Wemba (Living Ancestress) Mask
This dynamically carved figure was commissioned to honor a woman who had outlived her husband and attained the rank of “living ancestress,” a beacon of wisdom. Worn with a fiber costume, the mask—understood as an active entity—performed at the funeral of the ancestress and at subsequent commemorative festivals to promote communal well-being.
Puppet Sculpture,
Puppet Sculpture
Female Figure,

Female Figure
Mende Mask,

Mende Mask
Ntan Drum,

Ntan Drum
Portrait of Sogolon, Mother of Sundiata, Founder of the Empire of Mali,

Portrait of Sogolon, Mother of Sundiata, Founder of the Empire of Mali
This torso, from the region of the ancient city of Djenné, depicts Sogolon, mother of Sundiata Keita (ca. 1217–1255 CE), founder of the Mali Empire. Sogolon was a real woman immortalized in the Epic of Sundiata. Over time, myth imbued her with supernatural abilities, including invincibility and the ability to transform herself into a buffalo-woman.
Mami Wata Figure,
