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LOT # 26

Setien / Hornbill Harvest Bird Figure
SENUFO PEOPLE
IVORY COAST, WEST AFRICA
EARLY / MID 20TH C.
CARVED WOOD
9.8'' W X 19'' D X 30.5'' H

Estimate: $6000-8000
Starting bid: $1650
Current online bid: $0
Bidding is closed

The highest online bid placed for each lot prior to noon 02/25/2011 will be honored as the starting bid in the live auction at Primitive.

Perhaps the most significant animal sculpture that the Senufo are known for is that of the hornbill, also known as the “setien.” This bird is typically shown as having a long neck with a small, round head. Its beak it also elongated and usually stretches down to its plump, pregnant-like belly. Its wings are square, with varying designs, and its two legs come together in a solid base. These sculptures seem to be most frequently carved out of wood, although they do appear on other masks and sculptures throughout Senufo art. The hornbill is a significant creature to the Senufo people because it is considered one of the five “totemic” animals, along with the tortoise, the chameleon, the snake, and the crocodile. They are so called because, in Senufo culture, they are believed to be the five original living creatures, and the hornbill is believed to be the first one that was killed for food. The hornbill is also known as “porpianong” or “porparga” when it is created as a symbolic representation of male and female duality, because in this case it stands for the whole porpia category. This refers to “tribal effigies symbolizing the continuity of the whole community, or the constituent elements of the collectivity.” Basically, it reminds Senufo people of the importance of duality, with the large beak representing the male, since he is generally regarded as the hunter/food gatherer, and the big pregnant belly representing the female, signifying fertility and nourishment. The bird’s beak is often made to connect with the protruding belly, indicating continuity, because without one there would not be the other, and without the combination of these two things, the community could not survive.

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