Sogolon la scrofuleuse 109 fication of epic characters, whether fictive or not, at least presents the compelling evidence that, until proven otherwise, these artworks were not used for funerary purposes. It does not seem unreasonable to consider that these objects and the practices surrounding them had something to do with an exchange of services between the worshippers and their gods or tutelary ancestors and protectors. The hypothesis of a maternity figure representing Sogolon and Sunjata could have a secondary implication of a political nature, and the cultural authorities in Mali should be made aware of this for several reasons. The first is that during diplomatic exchanges between France and Mali in the early 1990s when France was seeking authorization to acquire the sculpture for the Musée National des Arts d’Afrique et d’Océanie,97 it promised to carry out a scientific study of the work and share the results with Mali.98 The second, which is of a more sensitive nature, relates to French President Sarkozy’s speech in Dakar in July 2007see 15 and France’s military commitment in the Serval operation99 alongside Malian troops in regions that were once in the heart of the Mali Empire. This sculpture may serve as a reminder to all parties of that empire’s historical importance. The Malians do not deny this past and indeed even honor it, as demonstrated by the statue of the Dô Buffalo in Sogolon Square in Bamako (fig. 31). This monument celebrates Dô Kamissa (see p. 96) as well as Sogolon, who bore Sunjata. Moreover, the simultaneous presence of the buffalo in the statue and use of Sogolon in the name of the square is evidence of their kinship, and even supports the fact that they are considered in some versions to be identical—one being the avatar of the other.see 40 Portrayal of the semantic complexity of the Epic of Sunjata in the center of a contemporary metropolis also demonstrates that Mali not only acknowledges its prestigious historic past100 but that it honors its storytellers, who maintain the oral tradition and reinterpret it in a topical light.101 Finally, this information may encourage Malian and foreign researchers to study the region’s history through these works, draw- FIG. 32: Snake hut. IND region, Mali. 11th–17th century. Terracotta with ochre/red slip. H: 22.9 cm. New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, Louisiana. Acquired with the Robert P. Gordy Fund, inv. 90.196. © New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans. Photo: Judy Cooper. FIG. 33: CT scans of figure 32, opaque 3D views from two angles. Right: section without the roof of the hut revealing the sacrifice scene. The body of the female figure whose arm is protruding from the hut is marked in red. Her head is in the mouth of the left-hand snake. © Dr. Marc Ghysels, Brussels.
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