English: Figure with raised arms. Wood base, completely covered with rough, dull grey patina from accretion of sacrificial substances. Facial features indistinct, protruding triangle suggests beard, above long cylindrical neck. Long arms extend over head, bent slightly backwards; two oval shapes on chest indicating breasts. Head and torso continuous; rounded buttocks and short legs, with blackish feet. CONDITION: Part of right foot broken off; slight crack extending from back to buttocks.

English: The Tellem are thought to have occupied the region of the Bandiagara escarpment until the sixteenth century. The human form with raised arms is a common pose for Tellem sculptures and is said to refer to prayers for rain, crucial in this dry region.