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Ancestral figure representing a hermaphrodite
Photograph
1935 (photographed)
1935 (photographed)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Photograph from an exhibition of African art displaying a Dogon figure of a hermaphrodite in profile. The figure is made from wood and is from the Bandiagara region of Mali.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Ancestral figure representing a hermaphrodite (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Photograph |
Brief description | Photograph by Walker Evans depicting a wooden sculpted figure of a hermaphrodite from French Sudan (modern day Mali) at a Museum of Modern Art exhibition entitled 'African Negro Art'. New York, 1935. |
Physical description | Photograph from an exhibition of African art displaying a Dogon figure of a hermaphrodite in profile. The figure is made from wood and is from the Bandiagara region of Mali. |
Dimensions |
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Object history | NB: The term "negro" was used historically to describe people of black African heritage but, since the 1960s, has fallen from usage and, increasingly, is considered offensive. The term is repeated here in its original historical context. Historically, the term hermaphrodite was used to describe people born with sex characteristics which do not fit the typical definitions for male or female bodies. The word intersex has come into preferred usage for humans, since the word hermaphrodite is now considered to be stigmatizing as well as clinically problematic. The term is repeated in this record in its original historical context. This ancestral figure embodies the spirit of the family and is used in burial ceremonies of the Dogon people of Mali, near the city of Bandiagara. |
Subjects depicted | |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | 1994-1936 |
About this object record
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Record created | July 1, 2009 |
Record URL |
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