Flafani tourist painting , 1978
47 x 72.5 x 0.5 in (h x w x d)
Cotton with hand-painting; gift from the Herbert and Shelley Cole collection of African textiles, 2020.6.25

Individuals who identify themselves as Senufo occupy parts of Côte d’lvoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana, and were historically agriculturalists. The visual conventions found in Senufo artwork may seem familiar, as many Modernist artists across Europe and the United States drew inspiration from Senufo-attributed objects during the early 20th century. In regard to textiles, Senufo men historically wove yarn into pieces of cloth, decorating the fabric with spiritually charged imagery associated with 'Poro' - a men’s secret society shared by numerous West African cultures with a focus on maintaining relationships with ancestors and deities. Within this society, the most powerful divinity is 'Maleeo' (“Ancient Mother"), the female head of the founding matrilineage.

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