Guardian of the Granary

A Sentinel of Tradition and Protection

Step into the world of the Dogon peoples with this Guardian of the Granary, a masterful door-lock panel (weni) carved to secure and bless the community’s precious grain stores.

In Dogon cosmology, each abstract form—interlocking triangles, crescents and hourglass motifs—encodes clan stories and invokes protective spirits. Once fitted across a granary door, the lock both deterred thieves and called upon ancestral guardians to watch over the harvest.

Crafted from a single slab of local hardwood, its deeply cut grooves and original ochre pigments reveal a rhythmic precision born of generations of artisans. Feel the pulse of Dogon village life, where art and ritual merge in every carved line.

As a piece of living history, this panel embodies Ubuntu: “I am because we are.” It invites us to honour community bonds, shared abundance, and the timeless exchange between the living and their ancestors.