Female statue with mortar and pestle 

Title: Female Statue with Mortar and Pestle
Material: Carved wood, light brown patina
Geographical Area: Bamana (Bambara), Mali (West Africa)
Date: 20th century
Dimensions: h. 156 x 28 x 28 cm
Iconography and Symbolism:
The female figure evokes the Ancestral Mother, the source of fertility and the continuity of life. The act of pounding in the mortar represents transformation: from grain to flour, from seed to food, from raw material to the food that nourishes the community. Function: Statues such as this were used in ritual contexts of Bamana initiatory societies (jo, kore), as pedagogical and teaching tools. They could be displayed during agricultural ceremonies to ensure the fertility of the fields and the prosperity of the community. In rites of passage, the female figure with the mortar taught young people the value of work, discipline, and generational continuity. A symbolic presence in places of worship and ceremonial spaces, as a reminder of the generative and protective power of the feminine.