Nomoli

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Nomoli from Sierra Leone

Nomoli are worked statuettes from today's Sierra Leone and Liberia . They were mainly made of soapstone , sandstone , limestone or granite and are said to date back to the 17th millennium BC. BC , but possibly only from the year 500 BC. Come from BC.

Nomoli figures are considered to be the oldest art in Sierra Leone. They are the only evidence of a culture that existed long before the colonization of Sierra Leone .

The figures were probably made by the Mende , as they were mainly to be found in their traditional settlement area. They served as oracles and for protection. The Mende and also Kissi are said to have set up the statues near their houses and fields to protect them and to ensure health, a good harvest and enough food.

Portuguese sailors first mentioned the figures in the 15th century AD .

Nomoli are exhibited in the National Museum of Sierra Leone and the British Museum , among others .

See also

literature

  • Timothy Insoll: The Oxford Handbook of Prehistoric Figurines. University of Exeter, April 2017, ISBN 9780199675616 .
  • Arthur Abraham: Cultural Policy in Sierra Leone. UNESCO, Paris 1978, ISBN 92-3-201601-X .

Web links

Commons : Nomoli  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b National Museum of African Art . Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  2. ↑ nomoli figure ( en-GB ) Retrieved on February 21, 2020.
  3. ↑ The Unknown Origins of the Mysterious Nomoli Figures. Ancient Origins, December 30, 2014.
  4. ↑ a b c Figure, Pomdo or Nomoli Michael C. Carlos Museum Collections Online ( en-US ) Accessed February 21, 2020.