equestrian and archer amulet figures

Kotoko artists
Hadjer-Lamis or Chari-Baguirmi Regions, Chad, or Far North Region, Cameroon
Putchu guinadj (equestrian and archer amulet figures)
19th to early 20th century
Copper alloy
Collection of Arnold and Joanne Syrop

Troubles may yet ride away.

Imagine the soothing surface and heft of holding these monumental miniatures in your hand. How might they feel?
Kotoko artists, living in the vicinity of Lake Chad, cast small figures in copper alloy through the lost-wax technique in order to produce personal amulets. Functioning as protective talismans, they may have once been worn around an owner’s neck or carried by hand or in a small pouch. Held close to the body, they safeguarded their owners against threats outward, and physical, or inward, in the form of anxiety and mental illness. The image of the equestrian and archer recalls a broader history of mounted warfare and exchange throughout the greater Western Sudan—an oft-disruptive history to which Kotoko communities were frequently subjected.

GCH Video/MP3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuBl6ozG_Kc