Magical figurine

The Noanamá (Waunana) community, which inhabits the tropical forests of the Chocó department in northwestern Colombia, carves many figurines of various sizes and functions. They typically cover them with symbolic geometric, zoomorphic, and anthropomorphic patterns, using black dye made from the edible fruits of the genipapo plant. These fruits are harvested by men from the Genipa americana tree. The fruit halves are then heated over a fire in a gourd vessel until the heat transforms them into a black liquid. The Noanamá also use this dye for body decoration. The genipapo ornamentation – whether on objects or the body – is applied using a wooden fork. The presented magical object was carved from very light and soft, yet strong and flexible, balsa wood (Ochroma pyramidale). It was most likely made for a girl as a representation of her personal protective spirit, which would accompany her until she reached adulthood. Once this occurred, the figurine would lose its power and significance, becoming an ordinary object, a toy (doll) for younger siblings. The figurine comes from the collection of Borys Malkin (1917–2009), an anthropologist who conducted fieldwork among the Noanamá between 1968 and 1972. However, it was purchased by the museum from a private individual who had been gifted the figurine by Malkin. The researcher himself confirmed this during consultations with the museum, pointing to his marking on the back of the figurine's head – a letter "S", the initial of the name of the person who had been gifted the object. Katarzyna Findlik-Gawron