Bambara Boli or Bull Fetish Figure

Not an ornament. A boli is a tool, and its power builds up in layers.

Boli are used by several Bamana secret initiation associations to help accomplish goals set by priests, elders and members, and they gain their force through materials added over time. This one, from the Bambara of Mali, was made in the 20th century. It has the stocky form of an animal on four short legs, with a heavy rounded body rising to a central hump. The surface is a thick earthen crust in muted gray-brown, crazed with fine cracks and roughened by accumulation.

Nearly two feet tall and long. Sit it in the middle of the room and see who walks around it.