nomoli
Quick Summary
The term "nomoli" refers to soapstone figures found in Sierra Leone, often unearthed by Mende people while preparing rice farms. These figures are thought to be similar in style and date to ivory objects commissioned by Portuguese traders in the 16th century.1
Another type of African sculpture is the mintadi from Angola, which are steatite (soapstone) figures created to guard ancestral graves and serve as portraits of buried kings and chiefs. These figures, often depicted kneeling or seated, had emblematic identifications carved on their headdresses.2
African sculpture is not limited to soapstone; other materials like wood, copper alloys, iron, ivory, and pottery are also used. Wood is a well-known medium, with tools like adzes and knives used for carving.1
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African artMende…in soapstone and known as nomoli, which they set up in shelters to protect the crop. The figures are similar in style and are thought to be similar in date to ivory spoons, boxes, hunting horns, and salt cellars commissioned in the 16th century by Portuguese traders in the adjacent…
Read More…in soapstone and known as nomoli, which they set up in shelters to protect the crop. The figures are similar in style and are thought to be similar in date to ivory spoons, boxes, hunting horns, and salt cellars commissioned in the 16th century by Portuguese traders in the adjacent…
Read More
Sierra LeoneThe arts…human figures, sometimes distorted, called nomoli—or, in wooden form, pomtan (singular, pombo)—that certainly date earlier than the 16th century and were used probably for ancestor worship or fertility rites. At present they are used for ceremonies to ensure abundance of crops. Containers or rattles are carved from gourds and are…
Read More…human figures, sometimes distorted, called nomoli—or, in wooden form, pomtan (singular, pombo)—that certainly date earlier than the 16th century and were used probably for ancestor worship or fertility rites. At present they are used for ceremonies to ensure abundance of crops. Containers or rattles are carved from gourds and are…
Read More