76 FIG. 12 (facing page, left): Helmet. Senufo, Côte d’Ivoire. Late 19th–early 20th century. Wood, glass beads, raffi a cord, palm oil. H: 44 cm. Acquired in 1936, Louis Roux Collection. Musée des Confl uences, inv. MC1766. © Benoit Lapray – Musée des Confl uences, Lyon. ART ON VIEW FIG. 11 (above): Abstract fi gure, mwana hiti. Doe or Zaramo, Tanzania. Mid 19th century. Wood, metal inlay. H: 20.5 cm. Collected by Etienne Baur around 1870. On loan from the Pontifi cal Mission Societies, Lyon. Musée des Confl uences, inv. D979- 3-383. © Patrick Ageneau – Musée des Confl uences, Lyon. Young Doe and Zaramo girls received a small fi gure of this kind, called mwana hiti (generally translated as “wooden child”), when they were initiated. This example was collected by Father Baur in the Zaramo (Ouzaramo) area around Dar es Salaam. It is unusual for the remarkable care taken in the modeling of the face, the treatment of the arms, and the presence of female genitalia, which are usually absent from fi gures of this type. After being consecrated, the mwana hiti became a teaching tool, a fertility symbol, and it assured the connection with the ancestors. According to family traditions, it might be enhanced with beads or hair, or be worn on the back or around the neck. In any event, the young woman had to take as good care of her mwana hiti as she did of herself, and it was believed she would become sterile if she failed to do so. – Marie Perrier. FIGS. 10a-b (above and right): High-backed chair. Kami, Tanzania. Mid 19th century. Wood. H: 82 cm. Collected by Alexandre Le Roy between 1881 and 1892. On loan from the Pontifi cal Mission Societies, Lyon. Musée des Confl uences, inv. D979-3-383. Although the very few known examples of this type of seat are attributed to the Luguru—the others are known from the Bareiss and Marceau Rivière collections— Alexandre Le Roy states that he collected this piece in Oukami, that is to say, in the plains area around Morogoro in Tanzania. The chair is composed of a seat from which a high back with a female bust on it extends upward. The reverse of this backrest is decorated with geometric designs reminiscent of those found on utilitarian objects produced by the Swahili. The whole is surmounted by a female fi gure that represents the founding ancestress watching over the lineage and is a reminder of the matrilineal system of organization prevalent in the cultural area of the Kami and Luguru, among others. This small chair was reserved for ceremonial use when honoring elders or during initiations. – Marie Perrier. M. P.: Spring has been very busy indeed at the Musée des Confluences, since we are opening three exhibitions this season. The first, Venenum, un monde empoisonné (Venenum – A Poisoned World), opened in April and explores the use of poisons in various times and cultures throughout history and up to our contemporary era. Carnets de Collections (Collection Notes) is about the makeup of scientific museums and uses the Musée des Confluences as its illustrative example. In June, Lumière! Le cinéma inventé (Light! The Cinema Invented) will open its doors. And after all this, in September, our visitors will have the opportunity to learn about Tuareg aesthetics through
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