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Sculpture of a Woman with Four Children, from Mali, c.1100-1450 CE: this sculpture was created in the ancient city of Djenné-Djenno

Created during the 12th-15th centuries CE, this sculpture depicts a woman sitting cross-legged on the ground, with two children on her lap and two more clinging to her back. Scarification patterns are visible on the woman's temples, and there is a thick, undulating line running from her forehead to the nape of her neck, likely representing a serpent.

As this article explains:

Snakes on Inner Niger Delta sculptures are a common element and should be seen as a positive iconographic component. They represent control of a potentially dangerous benevolent power that must be tamed, domesticated, nourished, and satisfied so it will continue to provide protection.

This is one of the many terracotta sculptures that were produced in Djenné-Djenno, located in the Niger River Valley of Mali, in West Africa; Djenné-Djenno sits just to the south of the Medieval city of Djenné, which is still a major center of Islamic scholarship.

The ancient city of Djenné-Djenno dates back to at least 250 BCE, making it one of the oldest cities in West Africa. For centuries, it also served as one of the largest urban centers/trading hubs in the region, with a peak population of about 20,000 people. The city began to decline in the 9th century CE, when residents (and trade) began moving northward to the nearby city of Djenné, which had just recently been founded by Muslim traders. Djenné-Djenno was ultimately abandoned by the end of the 15th century.

Unfortunately (and unsurprisingly), most of the artifacts from Djenné-Djenno were looted or destroyed by colonizing forces during the 19th-20th centuries. Some of those artifacts have been repatriated in recent years, and there are ongoing efforts to return more of them.

Why Western museums should return African artifacts.

Sources & More Info:

Yale University Art Gallery: Female Figure with Four Children

World History Encyclopedia: Djenné-Djenno

Tribal Art: Scrofulous Sogolon (PDF)

ArtNews: Museum of Fine Arts Boston to Return Terra-Cotta Figures from Mali in Latest Restitution Efforts

CBS: African Nations Want their Stolen History Back, and Experts Say it's Time to Speed up the Process

Fair Observer: It is Now Time for the West to Return African Art

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Alone Not Lonely (2024) By Bisola Michal, Nigerian artist

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mali_paw_b_di

Between history and spirituality, the mosques of Bandiagara stand majestically, witnesses to a rich past and a vibrant culture of Mali.

@rhubarbspring @talasem

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For any relocated TikTok users

you can say sex and kill its fine

If you don't have a profile picture people will assume you're a bot

theres barely an algorithm, if you want to see cool shit reblog things instead of just liking them

follower count doesnt matter

tumblr fame gets you one thing and it is Yelled At

no one knows what the fuck the nsfw policy is

block anyone that annoys you even a little bit

And most importantly:

post cringe

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Seen at Bamako National Park, Mali by Nybe Ponzio

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A man ascends the steps of the Great Mosque, the largest mud-brick building in the world, located in Djenné, Mali

Photographed by Susan Liebold

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“Poem Number Two on Bell’s Theorem, or The New Physicality of Long Distance Love” by June Jordan

There is no chance that we will fall apart There is no chance There are no parts.

Poem: https://poets.org/poem/poem-number-two-bells-theorem-or-new-physicality-long-distance-love

Art: Forbidden Fruit picker by Wangechi Mutu, 2015. 

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Wangechi Mutu’s Sculptures in Bronze Populate Storm King Art Center with Mythical Beings

Storm King Art Center is situated on the ancestral homelands of the Lenape, a reference point that Kenyan-American artist Wangechi Mutu returns to for a new exhibition at the outdoor museum in Hudson Valley. Comprised of her signature sculptures of immense hybrid figures, the largely bronze body of work addresses settler-colonialism and the inextricable tie between people and the land.

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Wangechi Mutu, Water Woman, 2017

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Wangechi Mutu: Intertwined at New Museum

The photographs don’t capture the scale of these pieces. The first two are from an imposing set of close to human scale figures. The natural materials of soil and hair give them a believability despite the alien appearance. The bronze works are monumental in scale.

Would be awesome to see her work in public spaces someday.

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The Seated, 2019, Wangechi Mutu

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'mamaray,' 2020 in wangechi mutu - adrienne edwards, courtney j. martin, kellie jones + chike okeke-agulu (2022)

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Period Details in a Cozy London Apartment in a Victorian Tenement Building

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Hands of the Old Straw Weaver, St. Croix, Virgin Islands. 1970.

Photography by Fritz Henle