Genette , Gan, Burkina Faso

Very good condition overall; wear consistent with age and use within the culture. Complex patina with areas of fine and varied encrustation, particular evident on the legs and face, light archaeological deposits elsewhere.
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Kyé, la genette, fait partie du foisonnant bestiaire royal gan. Sous le signe de ce félin est honorée l'arrière-grand-mère maternelle du 8^e roi Kpĩgĩna, la princesse Nãsã Farma qui, très jeune, dut se réfugier en brousse pour échapper aux machinations ourdies par la 5^e reine gan, Wanyi Tébé, qui voulait priver ses proches parents de leur rang princier et faire de son propre fils l'héritier de la couronne. Lorsque Kpĩgĩna, son descendant direct, accéda finalement au trône, il rendit tout particulièrement hommage à la fermeté de son aïeule Nãsã Farma en l'élevant au rang des sĩndi sĩmba (« entités spirituelles de la cout.mes  ») protectrices de la royauté, et en choisissant comme objet symbole, support de son culte, la figuration de la genette, animal carnassier essentiellement nocturne et discret, qui n'a pas de terrier fixe. Cet important objet rituel en « bronze », dont l'incontestable ancienneté se reflète sur sa surface fort.mes nt oxydée, fait revivre l'histoire de cette princesse dont le culte est aujourd'hui tombé en désuétude. Les traits caractéristiques du félin, la petite tête triangulaire au museau pointu et aux oreilles ovales, ainsi que la longue queue épaisse et effilée, sont ici rendus superbement pour conférer à la svelte silhouette de l'animal une allure presque « princière ».

Gan figure of a genet, Burkina Faso

The genet, or the Kyé, is part of the extensive Royal Gan bestiary. The image of this feline served to honour princess Nãsã Farma, the maternal grandmother of King Kpĩgĩna the 8th, who took refuge in the bush when very young to escape the machinations hatched by King Wanyi Tébé the 5th, intended to deprive close relatives of princely rank in order to make his own son the heir to the crown. When Kpĩgĩna, his direct descendant, finally ascended the throne, he gave a special homage to the firmness of his grandmother Nãsã Farma by raising her to the ranks of sĩndi sĩmba ('spiritual beings of custom') who served as the protectors of royalty. In choosing the figure of the genet as the symbol and support for his cult, he likened her to a carnivorous animal, mainly nocturnal and secretive, with no fixed territory. This important ritual object in 'bronze', its incontestable age reflected in the highly oxidized surface, brings to life the story of the princess whose cult is now obsolete. The characteristic features of the feline: the small triangular head with the pointed muzzle and oval ears and the long thick tapering tail, are beautifully rendered and give the animal a slim silhouette and an appearance which is almost 'princely.'