Kandem Dogon Board

Dogon boards were traditionally placed on doors, and incorporated animal and human symbols to protect the entrance to the home. The Dogon are an ethnic group living in the central plateau region of Mali, in Western Africa. Artisan Issaka Ibrahim presents his interpretation of a Dogon board, incorporating male figures that depict how strong the men are in working to take care of their women, female figures representing the carriers of the next generation, and lizard motifs that symbolize the hope that the Dogon traditions will continue. The artisan names his original relief panel 'Kandem', after the village in which he grew up. The panel's raised motifs are formed from hardened calabash.