A Very finely carved female effigy with classic treatment to the face and coiffure, well patinated dark surface. This figure was once atop a wooden staff , known locally as a tefalipitya staff. Local tradition dictates that only champion cultivators win the staff itself, it is said that the staff represents a young, unmarried, and physically beautiful woman, a symbol of the future reward of the most beautiful girl in the village as his wife. There is no greater honor for a Senufo man than to be known as sambali, a title that stays with him until his death. Upon the death of a sambali, his tefalipitya staff is placed outside is home to guard his spirit.Tefalipitya staffs are said to be used during PORO ceremonies as awards for initiates that have mastered the secret language of the society, also they are used as weapons of Katieleo (meaning 'earth-mother') to ward off evil spirits that aim to disrupt ritual ceremonies. The staff sculpture measures 18 inches tall ( 20 inches on custom display base. Provenance: Ex Robert Banks collection, Maryland.

Good, well handled