Hornbill Urn and Hornbill Lid

Hornbill Urn and Hornbill Lid

Senufo Tribe

The Senufo are a matrilineal culture, tracing descent through the maternal line. Women are accorded considerable status, as illustrated by their leadership: The highest-ranking woman elder is appointed as leader of both the female secret society, the Sandogo, and the male secret society the Poro. These two societies take turns running the community and educating the young in traditional knowledge and initiating them into the community, and together they form the judicial branch of the community’s government, with a women as the head. Among the Senufo and many other African communities, the hornbill bird serves as a potent symbol of female supernatural power.

The Stoneman Collection’s Urn with Angular Legs and its corresponding Lid with Bird are strong examples of female power symbolism. The urn consists of a large vessel that is carved with reliefs of hornbills around its circumference, while the legs of the vessel actually take the form of bent hornbill legs, ending in feet carved in relief on the base. The lid, meanwhile, is crowned with a large figure of a hornbill. This urn was likely used to hold ritual substances during secret ceremonies.

Research by Matthew Stevens, 2008, Missouri State University Student. Mentor: Dr. Billie Follensbee

20th

56.5 cm. h. x 26 cm. w. x 21 cm. d.

Sculpture

Wood

Carving

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Stoneman

1985.86

1985

20150031