While the figure on the left may date to as late as the 20th century, the figure on the right is variously dated from the 13th to the 18th century, on account of its association with ancestral Tellem sculptures of a similar type with raised arms, which predate the Dogon. This style was subsequently adopted by the Dogon after moving into the area in the 15th century. It is so well preserved on account of the dryness of the area it’s from, and was probably kept in a shrine located underneath one of the overhanging cliffs of the Bandiagara escarpment.
“Dogon sculpture is primarily concerned with the spirits responsible for the fertility of both land and people. These include a family's real and mythical ancestors, the souls of women who died in childbirth, and water spirits. While the exact functions and meanings of individual works often remain obscure, scholars agree that Dogon sculptures were created for shrines.
The most distinctive subject rendered by Dogon sculptures is that of a single figure standing with raised arms. This posture has usually been interpreted as a gesture of prayer—an effort to link earth and heavens—and it has been suggested that it may represent an appeal for rain.”
“Sculptures attributed to a workshop identified with the village of Tintam are defined by powerful, rounded contours and a vivid red hue associated with ritual transformation. We can only speculate about the concerns underlying certain recurring Dogon representations. Several freestanding figures produced by the Tintam atelier feature a raised-arm gesture in which one hand clenches in a fist with thumb raised and the opposite hand opens flat."
-The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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