Figure -head ending in handle

According to oral tradition, when the Dogon arrived in the Bandiagara Escarpment they came into contact with people they called Tellem and forced them to abandon their settlements. The Dogon claim that representatives of this mysterious people moved to the area of present-day Burkina Faso. The existence of the Tellem was confirmed by archaeological research conducted by Dutch scientists. Analysis of their skeletons revealed that the Tellem were ethnically different from both the Dogon and the peoples inhabiting Burkina Faso. Archaeological excavations have also shown that this people inhabited the Bandiagara Escarpment between the 11th and 15th centuries. In the caves that the archaeologists explored, no Tellem living quarters were found, only granaries for food storage and burial sites. During the research, examples of wooden figurative sculpture were found. These statues were made in a variety of styles, described by the researchers as ranging from very abstract to naturalistic and resembled those found on the altars of the Dogon. Because of this resemblance, for a long time it was believed that the sculptures from the Dogon altars were made by Tellem artists and date from before the 15th century. The fact is that there are many similarities between the Dogon and Tellem styles, evident in the gestures depicted, facial features, geometric shapes and the use of sacrificial materials. The Dogon tend to identify as coming from the Tellem any work whose provenance is unknown to them, regardless of its age, style or where it was found. It is important to realise that the Dogon sometimes use Tellem artefacts found in caves and place them on contemporary altars. Sometimes they commission smiths to make similar forms, trusting that the right shape will also give strength to the figurine, as according to them the Tellem were possessors of very strong magic. It is very difficult to draw a clear line between the Dogon and Tellem styles.

Ewa Prądzyńska