Africa | "Bansonyi" snake sculpture from the Baga people of Guinea | Wood and pigments | The spirit Ninkinanka, of the snake called bansonyi or Mantsho-or-no-Pön, reigned among the Baga people, who feared him. He was the spirit who could bring rain, provide wealth, and children to infertile women. Each section within a village was represented by the wooden image of a serpent, like a totemic animal | Late 19th century
