TS_Art of Africa_FRE_P-OK(P-6)_07.10.11.qxp 10/13/2011 8:38 AM Page 88
Mamadu and that the “veiled Zenaga of the desert” paid tribute
to him and furnished him with military contingents. Some fifty
years later, the Wolofs declared to the Portuguese, Diego
Gomez, that all the country that they knew belonged to the
mansa of Manding. Cadamosto, in 1455, confirms the fact that
in the middle of the 15thcentury the power of the latter extended
as far as the lower Gambia.However, in 1435, the Tuareg chief Akil captured Arawan,
Timbuktu, and Walata. A little later the emperor of Gao, Ali the
Great, after having taken Timbuktu from the Tuareg in 1468,
entered Djenné as conqueror towards 1473 and took away from
the authority of the mansa a good part of the Massina, where the
Fulani coming from Termes, obeying a chief of the Diallo family,
had settled about the beginning of the 15thcentury, with the autho-
risation of the Mandinka governor of Bagana.Soon after, by the intermediary of the Portuguese officers Rio de
Cantor (Gambia) and Elmina (Gold Coast), there took place an
exchange of presents, messages, and embassies between the
emperor of Manding, who was then called Mamoud or
Mamudu, according to Joao de Barros, and the king of Portu-
gal, John II, who mounted the throne in 1481, remaining there
until 1495.Carved atal monolith (Bakor or Ekoi), 16thcentury.
Cross River, Nigeria.
Basaltic stone, height: 174 cm.
Private collection, Brussels.The attempt at separating the head from the torso with a deep, broad groove
makes this depiction of a human form nearly sculptural. The round eyes under
the heavy eyebrows, open mouth with protruding tongue, and bearded austere
face indicate the role of the individual being portrayed. Known as Ebiabu, this
figure stands for the society of the same name which was responsible for
carrying out death sentences.
Found almost exclusively in the abandoned village sites of the Bakor
linguistic area, is how these monoliths were named. Overall, they were arranged
in perfect, near segmented circles; however, when found in present-day villages,
the monoliths were arranged in clusters of several stones or placed individually
in the middle of the village near a large tree. In their original settings, the area
enclosed by the monoliths was used as a marketplace and community
playground during the day and for secret ritual activities at night. Most were
moved from the old village sites and brought along to the new settlements of
the communites. They have been dated to the time when the inland people
were brought prosperity by trade with Europeans in Calabar at the mouth of the
Cross River, in the 16th century. While these large stones represent dead
ancestors, they refer more specifically the lengendary figures of memorable
events, such as famous hunters or warriors.