Dogon horse rider in bronze (Mali)

Dogon figures showing horses and riders depict the prestige and power surrounding an animal that has been associated with these qualities since it was introduced into West Africa more than a thousand years ago.
In Dogon society, horses were generally considered a luxury reserved for rich or powerful people. Horses occur in Dogon beliefs about the creation of the world and the horse and rider figures are seen as a symbol of a mythological personage: the seventh Nommo. According to Dogon history the Nommo, of which there are eight, are the forefathers of the entire dogon race. After the sacrifice of the fifth Nommo and the scattering of his dismembered body across the earth, the seventh Nommo descended from the heavens. This was the blacksmith, who brought to earth the ancestors of human beings, animals, grains and technology. Upon landing the rider, the seventh Nommo disembarked from the ark on horseback. It is believed that the horse was the very first animal to inhabitate the earth. Hence the horse motif is found throughout Dogon art.