Dogon 80.5" Granary LADDER Mali 9 Steps OLD African Use Extensive Tribal Use - NO Damage - Custom Metal Stand Start Price USD 1,295.00 Current Price USD 1,295.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Monday, October 06, 2008 End Time Wednesday, November 05, 2008 Location Santa Fe, NM See more about 'Dogon 80.5" Granary LADDER Mali 9 Steps OLD African Use' Description   Dogon Authentic 80.5" Granary LADDER 9 StepsAntique African Art - Tribal Sculpture - Mali     80.5" Dogon Full Granary Ladder, 9 Steps of Authentic Tribal Use, Custom StandAntique African Art - Tribal Sculpture - Mali Collected from the: Dogon peoples of the Bandiagara Cliffs in Mali, West AfricaMaterial: Hard wood with natural fork, custom metal museum mount standPeriod: Early 20th century, conservativelyDimensions: 80.5" height, 5" diameter, 13" width across top forkCondition: Exceptional. No damage or repair, intact and structurally sound. Exquisite surface condition bears signs of age, wear and extensive tribal use. Gorgeous weathered wood tones, significant patination indicative of continual use. A liberal coat of bees wax could be added to bring out the intricacies in the wood, but as some collectors prefer the ladders "au natural", we leave that to the buyer's discretion. Please click on the photos below to fully appreciate this remarkable old ladder! And be sure to see the amazing AFRICAN SCULPTURES in our eBay store! Or explore our extraordinary Private Collection of AFRICAN ARTIFACTS! Click Images to Enlarge Dogon House and Granary LaddersAs pictured and noted in Ginzberg's African Forms, "A utilitarian object, which Dogon people used to climb into their stacked homes and granaries, but also fraught with symbolism. The top of the ladder resembles the supports of the toguna (on which beams of the men's hut rests) which in turn evokes the Nommo, a crucial figure of Dogon mythology, with upraised arms (in the Tellem style), as if praying for rain." Dogon Tribal HistoryThe 300,000 Dogon inhabit approximately 700 villages in Mali, primarily along a 125 mile (200 kilometer) stretch of escarpment known as the Cliffs of Bandiagara. These sandstone cliffs run from southwest to northeast, roughly parallel to the Niger River, and attain heights up to 2000 feet 600 meters (2000 feet). Accounts of early Dogon history vary according to the specific Dogon clan and/or archaeological records consulted, with multiple versions of the Dogon origin myth as well as differing accounts of their migration from early ancestral homelands to the Bandiagara region. The people call themselves 'Dogon' or 'Dogom', but in the older literature they are most often called Habe, a Fulbe word meaning 'stranger' or 'pagan'. Certain theories suggest the tribe descended from an ancient Egyptian race that journeyed first to Libya, then on into regions of Guinea or Mauritania. Around 1490 AD, fleeing Mande invaders and/or drought, they migrated to eventually settle in the Bandiagara cliffs of central Mali. Legend has it that a snake led them to the cliffs at the southern end of the plateau, where they overwhelmed and usurped the local Tellem and Niongom populations. Carbon dating on remains excavated from the cliffs indicate the Toloy culture of the 3rd to 2nd centuries BC, and the Tellem culture of the 11th to 15th centuries AD inhabited the area long before the Dogon arrived. The influence of these earlier cultures continue to be noted in Dogon art to this day. Dogon livelihood is based on agriculture production concentrated in fields at the edge of the cliffs where water is scarce, but enough for occasional irrigation. Agricultural dependence has recently forced the Dogon to move away from their beloved cliffs onto the more fertile Bongo plains to maintain their agricultural production of millet, of vital importance to feeding the tribes. Onions, one of their only cash crops, are sold as far away as Cote d'Ivoire. Villagers are known to use bark ropes to scale the towering Bandiagara cliffs in search of pigeon guano and Tellem artifacts that are then sold to subsidize their meager existence. As the Dogon are both Muslims and Animists, their social and religious organizations are closely interlinked. Assimilation of the popular Muslim beliefs was initially somewhat limited by topographical isolation and tribal exclusivity. The four principle Dogon cults of the Awa, Lebe, Wagem, and Binu, significantly contribute to the richness and diversity of Dogon culture. For these various cults the hogon is both priest and political chief of the village. The tribe's self-defense comes primarily from their social solidarity which is based on a complex combination of philosophic and religious dogmas, with the fundamental law being the worship of ancestors. Ritual masks and corpses were enshrined in caves and used for ceremonial rituals. All Dogon villages have at least one togu na, a shelter where the men gather, and a Lebe shrine where the Hogon presides over their rituals. Cat. # sld6 ************************************************************************************ THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING SANTA FE AFRICAN ART !!! We strive to earn your ***** FIVE STAR ***** rating in all 4 categories!If you are not 5 star satisfied, please contact us immediately!Your Satisfaction is Unconditionally Guaranteed ! ************************************************************************************Multiple purchases = SUBSTANTIAL savings on your shipping costs! Never a charge for handling! 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