AFRICAN STUDIES

LEGENDS, SORCERERS, AND ENCHANTED LIZARDS

Door Locks of the Bamana of Mali

foreword by Robert J. Koenig
introduction by Patrick R. McNaughton

The Bamana people are known for their rich artistic traditions, including the creation of masks, statues, door locks, headdresses, and ritual and utilitarian objects: Their door locks are among the most remarkable of all African art. Sculpted of wood in a rich variety of forms, they depict mythological and historical figures, social events, and representational figures—crocodiles, lizards, tortoises, owls, bats, butterflies, humans.

Known as konbarabara, these exquisite locks were once presented to young women at the time of their marriage and affixed to the doors of their new homes. The beauty of the carvings and the ingenuity of the locking systems present a fascinating study of this unusual art form.

This unique publication presents for the first time in the United States a comprehensive survey of Bamana lock forms: Fifty-three Bamana locks and four Bamana doors with locks are displayed along with ten Dogon and two Bwa locks (both ethnic groups live in Mali).

PART I provides an overview of the Bamana people and their philosophical and spiritual beliefs.
PART II presents a comprehensive discussion of Bamana doors and locks.
PART III contains sixty-nine photographs each with detailed captions explaining the symbolism of the various forms, interpretations of graphic signs, and descriptions of the locking devices.

"The information presented is largely the result of field research carried out by the author in the late 1960s, a time when access to the region was difficult for Westerners because of political constraints. As a medical doctor he had the rare opportunity to move through rural villages largely unhindered. In doing so he was able to gain the trust of the inhabitants and explore his interest in the indigenous arts while treating outbreaks of deadly disease. His text provides a general overview of Bamana society, a more specific examination of Bamana doors and locks, and a comprehensive catalogue of the locks in the exhibition."
—Le Monde de l'Art Tribal

"The significance of this book is that Imperato does not recreate Bamana door locks into rigidly defined western “sculpture” or “arts and crafts” genres. Instead, he presents the totality of the locks as they appear in Bamana culture. The locks serve to regulate nyama, the vital energy that resides in all creations, which can be manipulated by soubaya (sorcery). But the locks, throughout their public display and embellishment with tiw graphic signs or pictographs, also reflect “a Bamana intent to use them to teach and remind people about the essential religious and philosophical beliefs and values of Bamanaya."
—African Studies Quarterly

Pascal James Imperato now serves as Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health at SUNY Health Science Center in New York City. Dr. Imperato first traveled to Mali to direct mass immunization programs for the U.S. Public Health Service. While there, he became fascinated with the beauty of the Banama door locks. After years of research, he is now recognized as an international authority on the art of the Bamana and Dogon peoples of Mali.