Column & Stripe

The Asian Art Society

The Contemporary Art Society

The Friends of African and African American Art

The Friends of Photography

The Musart Society

The Textile Art Alliance

Latine and Hispanic Artists

Conservation Images

Jewish Artists

Black American Artists

Women Artists

LGBTQ+ Artists after 1900

Asian American Artists

Recent Acquisitions

Has "Did You Know?"

On Loan

Outdoor Sculptures

Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Gifts

Building and Grounds

Collection

Conservation

Digital Innovation

Education

Events and Programs

Exhibitions

Ingalls Library and Museum Archives

Staff

Store

Strategic Plan

Support

This headpost (baàthíl) was likely a temporary sanctuary for khélé, a harmful spirit released after killing a person or dangerous animal. Around 1900, members of the Milkuùr religious association used baàthíla to counteract khélé. While the head resembles that of a teenage girl with pierced upper lip and earlobes, the roughly hewn, pole-like bottom suggests otherwise. Buried in an altar, devotees ritually applied materials that darkened the exposed head. When the owner died, the khélé left the sculpture; no longer sacred, it was buried. Milkuùr’s strict rules ensure these objects are made from the appropriate wood and that artists’ names remain secret.

Year in Review: 1967. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 29-December 31, 1967).

Year in Review: 1967

(Mathias Komor, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Gallery Hangouts: Baàthíl

Figure (baàthíl)

What's the first thing you notice when you look at something new? Take a closer look at Figure (baàthíl), in the CMA's African galleries.