95 any point in making the least gesture of affection or support for the hypotonic, probably lifeless child lying on her lap. On the torso of the MQB sculpture is a “keeled breast” (pectus carinatum), a deformity of the rib cage that forces the sternum forward in a sharp ridge like the keel of a boat. This deformity, here accentuated by several concentric tapering incisions, generally results from the fusion of costal cartilage during childhood and is commonly called “pigeon chest” (fig. 9). The same sternal protrusion can be seen on two other figures in the corpus of IND terracottas that we analyzed. The first of these is a kneeling woman whose head is covered with snakes (fig. 10). Three opaque views taken from the CT scan (fig. 11) confirm that apart from the sternal protrusion emphasized by two concentric tapering incisions, this work shares several other features with the MQB statue: the head turned to the left, snake-shaped tears, incised nasolabial grooves, parted lips, a snake-shaped ring around the neck, an ellipsoidal dorsal hump at the top of the backbone, apparently young breasts, snakes decorating the body, and a good weight status. The second is a female bust in the High Museum of Art in Atlanta (figs. 12 and 13) from which the head is missing but which elsewhere exhibits the same characteristics as the previous work. Sogolon as Sung by the Griots In the mythical tale passed down through the oral tradition common to the groups in the Mande cultural area, the life of the founder of the Mali Empire (13th– 17th centuries),28 Sunjata Keita,29 is studded with marvelous episodes through which he is transformed into a legendary hero through a process that is well known in epic literature. Researchers still question whether this warrior and eminent statesman ever really existed,30 although some early Arabic sources31 tend to confirm some of his deeds, in particular the event of about 123532 when he liberated Mande from the rule of Soumaoro Kante,33 the emperor of Sosso, the ancient kingdom or empire of Ghana.34 Sunjata’s mother was Sogolon, said to be the double of a buffalo that terrorized35 the land of Dô,36 and she is described in a number of stories. In 1960, the first published version of the Sunjata Epic was produced by Djibril Tamsir Niane and the griot Mamadou Kouyaté. In it, Sogolon is first introduced to the tale by a diviner at the court of King Maghan Kon Fatta, Sunjata’s future father: “I see two hunters coming toward your city; they come from afar and a woman accompanies them. Oh, that woman! She is ugly, she is hideous. She has a hump on her back that deforms her, her bulging eyes seem stuck on her face but, mystery of mysteries, you must marry this woman, oh King, for she will be the mother of the man who will make the name of Manding37 immortal forever, the child will be the seventh star, the seventh conqueror of the earth, he will be more powerful than Djoulou Kara Naïni.”38 Further on, Sogolon is brought before the king: Although the young woman managed to hide her face, she could not camouflage the hump that deformed her shoulders and her back; she was ugly, robustly ugly, her arms were muscled and her swelling breasts could be seen straining against the stout cotton cloth tied under her armpits.39 When the hunters explained why they were bringing Sogolon with them, they repeated the words spoken by FIG. 10: Female figure. IND region, Mali. 13th–17th century. Terracotta with ochre/red slip. H: 40 cm. Ex Freddy Rolin. Chambaud Collection. Photo: Hughes Dubois, Brussels/ Paris.
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