With ripe curves, refined facial features, and etched scarification marks along the torso, this female figure embodies the beauty and fertility of young womanhood. As such, sculptures such as this, translated as “small, beautiful girls,” were carried by young males of the Bambara people of Mali and were included in male initiation rites and performances. Hand-carved from hard wood and stained dark, this figure is skillfully modeled and has developed a silky patina after years of reverent use.