Bamana Figure

This old, used, and somewhat banged up male Bamana figure may be a flanitokelen, or twin figure. Flanitokelen are commissioned when an individual’s twin dies in childhood; as such, these figures can be either male or female. The carving serves as a means of balancing the deceased’s spirit to allow the surviving twin to thrive. According to Drs. Pascal James Imperato and Gavin H. Imperato in a 2006 issue of the Journal of Community Health, twin births are significantly more common among the Bamana people of West Africa than they are in all of the United States or Great Britain. Historically, Mali has suffered from high infant mortality rates. As twin pregnancies are in themselves challenging — more often leading to complications, premature deliveries, and low birth weights — twin births among the Bamana are especially fraught and worrisome. They are also, of course, a double blessing.

The Imperatos write that among the Bamana, twins are considered exceptional beings, empowered by the supreme deity with special powers. Twin households traditionally maintained an altar, dedicated to their protection, to which regular sacrifices were made of millet porridge, millet beer, chicken blood, and kola nuts.

The arc of this figure’s arms, echoed by the tighter curvature of the legs, creates a deliberate tension in the sculpture that drives the eye toward the chest and smallish head. The effect makes the figure seem to be drawing a deep breath, as if it about to speak or show off his strength and fitness. $1,500

18″

Inquire About This Item