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The Bambara excelled in three types of sculpture: stylized antelope headdress, statues, and masks. The basic characteristic of all their carvings is the use of bold volumes, often in angular interplay, with semiabstract over-all composition.The dyonyeni female figures are thought to be associated with either the Dyo or the Kwore society. For the Bambara, the mother figure is the embodiment of Faro, the goddess of water and mother of all mankind. She manifests herself in rain and rainbow, or thunder and lightning. The figures usually have geometrical features such as large conical or rounded breasts. The blacksmith members of the Dyosociety used them during dances to celebrate the end of the initiation ceremonies. They were handled, held by dancers and placed in the middle of the ceremonial circle.