{"id":1520,"date":"2007-11-08T02:29:04","date_gmt":"2007-11-08T10:29:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/willdoherty.org\/wordpress\/?p=1520"},"modified":"2024-09-23T20:26:47","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T20:26:47","slug":"final-day-in-dakar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stardustdoherty.org\/?p=1520","title":{"rendered":"Final Day in Dakar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

November 8, 2007, Institut Fondamental de l’Afrique Noire (IFAN) Museum, Dakar, Senegal<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to an unfortunate incident with a young man who was trying to steal money from me, I spent my last evening in Dakar cooped up inside the hotel. Part of the evening was entirely dark due to a blackout. The hotel chef was kind enough to prepare a vegetarian meal for me and I met an interesting Algerian business guy for a chat at the hotel bar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My final day in Dakar, I went to the Institut Fondamental de l’Afrique Noire (IFAN) Museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The museum had interesting exhibits of the various peoples of West Africa and their masks and other ritual objects. I took a lot of notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Afterwards, I tried to mail some heavy documents at the post office. I had to take a taxi to a special post office for mailing packages and they told me it would cost almost US$100 to mail 7 kilos of printed materials. I decided to wait for Mali to see if it would be cheaper. The taxi rides around town and to the airport provide an excellent opportunity to get an idea of the terrain in Dakar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Notes from IFAN Museum in Dakar:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women’s initiation, Mande, Sierra Leone, masks showing stages of initiation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nigerian sanctuary statues from near Port Harcourt, River State<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ekoi, Nigeria, Janus helmet, River State<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initiation of boys, Bassari, Senegal, circumcision at age 13, to become a man and learn mystical, technical, and artistic knowledge, large round masks around face with frame structured<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initiation of boys, Boukout or Bukut, Diola, Senegal, every 20-25 years in different villages, announced 3-4 years in advance, ceremonies, festivals, dances, sacrifices, Kuisen ceremony — maskes with horns called ejumba, in Balingore region other masks called sama\u00ef and niagarass<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diola, Senegal, couple statuettes, Bignona<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diola, Senegal, giant carved wood pitchers with handle (shape like beer stein) for palm wine, Ziguinchor regionally<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baga people in Guin\u00e9e, banda or kumbaduda is long horizontal mask combining royal crocodile, chameleon, antelope, and human imagery with colorful geometrical representations, man metamorphosing into a genie<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baga, tam-tam drum on wood stand<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bidjogo, Guin\u00e9e, archipel de Bissagos, Ile de Ponta, hippo mask<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ghana, Ashanti, Asipim, ceremonial chair, wood, leather, and copper(?) tacks<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ghana, Ashanti, large ceremonial tambour drums, pegs mid-level stretch animal skin attached by cords over the top, intricate geometrical and symbolic designs on base<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ivory Coast, S\u00e9noufo, maternity statue — baby at breast, statue of woman<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mali, Segon (or S\u00e9gou), Bamabara, “Chi-Wara” or “Tyiwara”, worn on top of woven cap with cowries, i.e. top of head, one of six “confr\u00e8ries” in which Bamabara is initiated, mythical hero related to cultivation of the earth, also stylized antelope carvings<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nimba and D’mba, of the Baga and others, ideal image of feminine in society, also have fecundity figure, both with pendulous breasts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boke, Guin\u00e9e, Baga, Yombofissa, ritual animist object for female initiation preparation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kout’ala (or Koutiala), Mali, Manianka wood statuette of mother carrying child on back<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cameroon, Bamil\u00e9k\u00e9 mast for curing sterile women, has lengthy phallus<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benin, Porto Novo, T\u00f4h\u00f4lu statue representing water spirit with HUGE hanging phallus<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ghana, Kumassi (Kumasi), fecundity puppet, Akwaba statuette, shaped almost like ankh symbol (see drawing in journal)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ghana, Cape Coast, Fanti puppet for fecundity<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ghana, Kumashi (Kumasi), Ashanti double fecundity puppet<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mali, Sikasso, Manianka statuette, hands on belly holding face<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ivory Coast, Senoufo, creator of world god named Koulotiolo, mother of the village god Kati\u00e9l\u00e9o<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pono (or Poro?) initiation rituals in sacred forests, three cycles of seven years is 21 years, receive ritual names at each level, proofs of endurance, secret language<\/p>\n\n\n\n