Early 20th Century Bamana Jonyeleni Female Figure Mali MATTER COLLECTION

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A large standing female figure from the Malinke or Bamana people. If truly Bamana, this figure would represent a beautiful … Read more A large standing female figure from the Malinke or Bamana people. If truly Bamana, this figure would represent a beautiful young woman and could be identified as a "Jonyeleni", a member of the Jo society, a woman's and men's initiation society among the Bamana. Young women will carry figures such as this from village to village indicating that they are no longer children but mature women ready and available for marriage. This takes place on a seven-year cycle of initiation of boys and girls into this level of Jo Society membership. The sculptures carried by the young women serve as paradigms of beauty and well-being, reflecting the physical attributes of ideal beauty that the Jonyeleni reflects to others. This idealization of beauty is reflected in the scarification and body markings as well as her stylized coiffure and the jewelry and clothing attached to the figure to enhance their attractiveness. This well-carved figure also characterizes the essence of womanhood and of social cohesion that results from the order and structure of the Jo woman's society. The Jonyeleni figure represents the aesthetic ideal of youthful beauty allied to the characterization of an ideal society of order and structure.
Provenance: Matter Collection
From the collection of Margie and Phil Matter. Margie lived in South Africa, and later she and her husband Phil opened a gallery in Tucson. Everything in this collection was in their home for more than thirty years. Africa Direct recently bought the collection; at 95, Margie wants to share the things she has loved so much.







Height (In) 30.0Width (In) 7.0Depth (In) 8.0







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