MALI. HEAVY BRACELET OF DOGON - 1850 CA.BRONZE 1059 gr. (37,1 oz) - 11,5x11,5x3 cm (4,5x4,5x1,17 inch). The Bronze casting is of high quality and the design a classic example of the African style. The bracelet is the most common money form in Africa. It served the important monetary functions of portability and wealth display. Often identified as a currency type it also served as a prestige object available in most instances to elites within African society. Massive, heavy and hollow cast bracelet is an extraordinary example of the skill of the bronze caster. Objects used as currency were sometimes also in themselves desirable objects, frequently used for body ornamentation.The Dogon are an ethnic group living in the central plateau region of the country of Mali, in Western Africa, south of the Niger bend, near the city of Bandiagara, in the Mopti region. The population numbers between 400,000 and 800,000. The Dogon are best known for their religious traditions, their mask dances, wooden sculpture and their architecture.