Figure
date: label: Date
content: 15th-16th century
name: label: Maker
content: Kissi artist
notes: label: Label Text
content: Farmers among the Kissi people of Guinea sometimes find stone statues in their fields. Most are cylindrical in overall outline and human in subject. They are not made by the Kissi and are described by them as "pomdo," the dead or images of the dead. The identity of the specific ancestor is revealed in a dream and the figure receives sacrifices, offerings and is placed with others on an altar. Some figures may be used in divination, oath taking or protection of initiates.
label: Label Text
content: Dating of the Kissi stone figures is unclear. Although different in style, they seem to be part of a stone carving tradition that extends into Sierra Leone, particularly in the areas now inhabited by the Mende and onto Sherbro Island. This tradtion is dated by stylistic comparison with export ivories to the 15th and 16th centuries and to a few carbon dated wood figures.
label: Description
content: Stone kneeling figure with three crest or row hairstyle, broad nose, pleated collar, hands on chest and a protruding navel.
label: Provenance
content: Hélène Kamer, Paris, -- to 1968
label: Provenance
content: Robert and Nancy Nooter, Washington, D.C., 1968 to 1980
label: Content Statement
content: As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
label: Image Requests
content: High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
place: label: Geography
content: Makona River region, Sierra Leone
label: Geography
content: Guinea
title: label: Object Name
content: <I>pomdo</I>
topic: label: Topic
content: Ancestral
label: Topic
content: male
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African Art Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Robert and Nancy Nooter
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African Art
identifier: label: Object number
content: 80-27-11
objectType: label: Type
content: Figure
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Steatite
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 12.7 x 4.4 x 5.7 cm (5 x 1 3/4 x 2 1/4 in.)