Lot: 144

92nd Tribal Art Auction

Oracle figure "kafigelejo" ("kafigeledio")

Côte d'Ivoire, Senufo

Provenance Size Starting price / estimated price
Marshall Ward Mount, Jersey City, NJ / New York City, NY, USA H: 19.9 inch / 27 inch (with arms) This object is not available anymore.

wood, coarse cotton, thick encrusted patina / sacrificial traces, collection number "214", base

The "kafigelejo" represents a dreaded spiritual being, said to have awesome forces in judging, punishing and imposing bad evil.

The missionary P. Knorps reported in 1923 that "kafigelejo" was a kind of clairvoyant who could expose guilty parties. Offenses were for example theft, adultery or immoral behavior. The fetish was kept in a hut, to which only the village chief, the sorcerer and few trustworthy persons had access.


Burkhard, Gottschalk, Senufo - Unbekannte Schätze aus privaten Sammlungen, Düsseldorf 2009, p. 204 ff. Förster, Till, Die Kunst der Senufo aus Schweizer Sammlungen, Zürich 1988, p. 95