Tiny Bird Lid

Tiny Bird Lid

Senufo Tribe

This tiny plug-style lid is decorated with a sculpture of a small bird with long bent legs, a small rounded body, wings that extend behind and upward, and a long beak that the bird lowers to touch the surface of the lid. While it is not as round and squat as the birds that appear on the hornbill urn and hornbill lid in this exhibit, this figure still bears many of the features of the hornbill and likely represents this spiritually significant bird. Such very small lids were used to cover containers for Shea butter, which was used in important Senufo rituals.

Research by Tiffany Henson, 2011, Missouri State University Student. Mentor: Dr. Billie Follensbee

20th

10.5 cm. h. x 6 cm. w. x 6.5 cm d.

Sculpture

Wood

Carving

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Stoneman

1985.89

1985

20150028