Mortar and pestle with cover for medicine figure Date Unknown

Curator: Here we have a mortar and pestle with a cover designed as a medicine figure, carved by the Loma people of West Africa. The precise date is, unfortunately, unknown, but its purpose is rather intriguing, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: It’s certainly striking. It gives me a feeling of great antiquity and inherent power. There is something elemental about the roughly carved wood and the asymmetry of the piece, almost like a tool and talisman merged into one. Curator: Indeed. Mortars and pestles were essential tools, of course, for preparing ingredients for both culinary and medicinal purposes. In many West African cultures, though, such objects took on added significance. Editor: The shape alone…the rounded form on the top, those vertical and horizontal lines. One can see the obvious phallic imagery here, which traditionally signifies fertility and life-giving powers. Do you agree? Curator: To an extent. Such interpretations certainly align with the potential medicinal use. These medicines were believed to heal both physical and spiritual ailments, thereby emphasizing potency beyond mere bodily strength. That might explain the ritual quality that radiates from it. Editor: Exactly. The roughly hewn surface tells us about tradition, and each imperfection enhances the object's sense of inherent power and connection to nature. The surface almost looks scarred, as if it endured rites that might amplify one’s health through the powers that it might possess. Curator: Possibly! Or it’s simpler to imagine that constant handling over time also caused those details. Editor: And think about this: Medicine, for the Loma, isn't just about physical cure. The ritual surrounding its preparation and administration could address societal health or ensure the community's welfare. What stories could it tell of bygone treatments! Curator: Yes, the intersection of art and social practice is at its core, don't you think? It certainly is remarkable to observe how cultural memory is held in an everyday object of historical healing practices. Editor: Definitely. As it stands on display here at Mia, the figure’s aura almost seems undiminished through the years, hinting at the rich symbolical values that imbue the culture in which it originated.