Talismanic Tunic
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.In the untamed wilderness and on the battlefield, Mande hunters and warriors are exposed to prodigious quantities of nyama, the force that gives life to all living things and provides the momentum for all action. They assemble customized garments laden with horns, claws, strips of rawhide, and leather-covered amulets—each talisman is a dalilu, or precious formula for marshaling energy that its wearer acquires as a form of knowledge. Such a garment is continuously augmented and “grows,” protecting and enhancing the wearer’s prowess.
Artwork Details
- Title: Talismanic Tunic
- Date: 19th century
- Geography: Kolenté River
- Culture: Mande peoples
- Medium: Cotton, leather
- Dimensions: H. 48 1/16 × W. 71 7/16 × D. (approx.) 10 in. (122 × 181.5 × 25.4 cm)
- Classifications: Textiles-Costumes, Hide-Costumes
- Credit Line: Musée du Quai Branly–Jacques Chirac, Paris (71.1905.44.1)
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing