Boli (Altar), Bamana, Mali, Before 1931. Wood encrusted with spiritually charged materials. (Photo: artSTOR)
The Boli is an altar that is a non-representable three-dimensional sculpture that is originally made from wood. The object is then formed with layers and layers of mysterious and sacrificial materials. These materials are all filled with nyama, a mysterious force that evokes power. The materials differ and can range from blood to semen. The materials are used to spiritually charge the object and activate it to create a reservoir for their nyama.
The Boli is a prime example of how accumulation is used to provide power and manipulate nyama[1]. The jow, which uses the Boli, is usually seen as a secret society. Each jow has a community shrine, which would be the Boli in this case, and is considered to be the most powerful item possessed. The Boli is such a powerful item due to its ability to control where nyama is being put into. Essentially, the jow have been able to create a reservoir to control the nyama.
[1] Monica Visona, Robin Poynor, and Herbert Cole, A History of Art in Africa, (New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2008), 119-120.
The Boli is an altar that is a non-representable three-dimensional sculpture that is originally made from wood. The object is then formed with layers and layers of mysterious and sacrificial materials. These materials are all filled with nyama, a mysterious force that evokes power. The materials differ and can range from blood to semen. The materials are used to spiritually charge the object and activate it to create a reservoir for their nyama.
The Boli is a prime example of how accumulation is used to provide power and manipulate nyama[1]. The jow, which uses the Boli, is usually seen as a secret society. Each jow has a community shrine, which would be the Boli in this case, and is considered to be the most powerful item possessed. The Boli is such a powerful item due to its ability to control where nyama is being put into. Essentially, the jow have been able to create a reservoir to control the nyama.
[1] Monica Visona, Robin Poynor, and Herbert Cole, A History of Art in Africa, (New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2008), 119-120.