Dimensions: H:25.2" W:17.7" L:6.7" Weight: 14.7 lbs.
Dogon horseman from Mali - The Dogon people of Mali carved this horseman figure. Horses are primarily the mounts of the respected hogons, who are the Dogon's most important semi-divine leaders of deep insight. Horses are symbols of power and prestige. They were first introduced to Western Africa over a thousand years ago, and quickly became the domain of rulers and nobility. Dogon sculptures are distinguished by their elongated forms and a combination of geometric and figurative themes. They act as a physical medium in initiations and as a means of explaining the world.
About the Tribe
Dogon are an ethnic group from Mali's central plateau region that extends into Burkina Faso. They arrived in the area around the 14th century CE. The majority of them live in the rocky hills, mountains, and plateaus of the Bandiagara Escarpment. The Dogon people are shrouded in mystery due to their knowledge of astronomy that pre-dates modern technology by thousands of years. They have known information about the stars before telescopes were invented. According to them, the Sirius A, which is the brightest star in Earth’s night sky, had a much dimmer companion: Sirius B, which has a fifty-year elliptical orbit around the bright Sirius A and is extremely dense. The Dogon claim that their knowledge of astronomy involves contact with extraterrestrial life dating back to around 3,200 BC.