ClassificationsAfrican Art

Figure, Pomdo or Nomoli

Place CreatedSierra Leone, Africa

CultureBullom-Sherbro

Date16th Century (?)

MediumSteatite

Credit LineEx coll. William S. Arnett

Dimensions4 1/2 x 1 15/16 in. (11.4 x 5 cm)

Object number1994.004.588

Label TextSmall stone figures like this example are often found in rice fields by Kissi and Mende farmers. They are thought to be some of the earliest known African art objects. The figures are attributed to the Sapi and Bullom cultures because they bear a striking stylistic resemblance to "Afro-Portuguese" ivories and have thus been dated to the mid-16th century.

Two different styles of nomoli or pomdo can be determined: coastal and interior. This figure can be placed in the interior style due to its open mouth with teeth bared, small ears, attenuated arms and legs, and androgynous nature.

Today these figures, known as nomoli by the Mende and pomdo by the Kissi, are placed in the rice fields to ensure good crops. Stone pomdo are also placed inside the enclosures of wooden pomtans, a type of Kissi object created for divination purposes.
Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Installation, Rotation 1, December 15, 1995 - February 1997
MCCM Permanent Collection Installation, Rotation 2, February 1997 - July 1998
Divine Intervention: African Art and Religion, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 5 - December 4, 2011

ProvenanceEx coll. William S. Arnett (1939-2020), Atlanta, Georgia.

Status

Not on view

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