Lot 65 D α

Farmers in southern and eastern Sierra Leone have discovered many ancient stone carvings buried in the ground, including pedestal heads similar to this one, with a sturdy columnar neck. These heads are from a lost society, referred to by the Mende who life there now, in their own language as Nomoli meaning 'found spirit' (nomolisia, pl.). A small group of the stone heads with pedestal-like necks, no body and nearly life sized are referred to as the Mahen Yafe or 'head of the chief'.
These stone heads usually have elaborate coiffures, as in this case, showing a combination of shaved, tufted, and possibly plaited areas. Similar hair styles are described in early seventeenth-century portugese sources, where they are apparently associated with the Sapi aristocracy.#


# William Siegmanns article in “ Afrikanische kunst “, edited by Schmalenbach, Prestel Verlag, 1988