So sacred is the forge that the Bamana believe a woman troubled by infertility will have this condition corrected by sitting at the forge and joining the smith in his meditations. The Bamana smith works primarily in iron, and supplies all his fellow villager's needs for tools of this metal. He produces knives, hoes, horse trappings, altar figures, and especially guns. The Bamana have had firearms since they were introduced from Morocco in the 16th Century. Since that time, smiths have acquired considerable skill in repairing and making these weapons.
Hunters are the primary customers of the smith.
They believe that the smith is able to put nyama into their firearms, thus ensuring them of protection and success in the wilderness. Bamana smiths also are woodcarvers. They create an array of ritual masks and sculptures, as well as more doorlocks. Masks come in a variety of forms, but all represent incarnations of gods, ancestors or bush spirits. For example, initiation societies need masks for their religious rituals.