Creolizing Currents: Bambara

Female Figure
Bamana People (Bambara), Mali
Wood, 20th Century
Lent by Asif Shaikh

Small figures are brought out from their shrines for public display at annual celebrations of the jo society, a sect associated with human fertility. A young girl who has been initiated into adulthood carries a figure as a fertility charm, during dance performances.

The New Orleans African American Museum (NOAAM) is located in Faubourg Treme, at 1418 Governor Nicholls Street, phone (504) 566-1136.

Generous assistance provided by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation.