The Nomoli, Figures That Bring Rice
Farmers in Sierra Leone dig up small stone figures in their fields. They keep them in a shrine, and if the rice harvest is poor, the figure is scolded.
What was reported
Nomoli are small figures carved from soapstone, usually of seated or crouching people with large heads and expressive faces, found buried in the ground in southern and eastern Sierra Leone. Mende farmers who uncover them while working their fields often regard them as gifts from the spirits or the ancestors.
A nomoli is kept in a small shrine in the rice field and offered food, and is expected to help the harvest. If the crop is poor, it may be beaten or scolded to make it work harder.
Explanations offered
Art historians think the figures were made centuries ago, perhaps from the 1400s, by the Sapi peoples who lived in the area before the Mende. Their original meaning is unknown, and the Mende have given them new roles. Many have been taken out of the country and sold.
- When
- Carved centuries ago; found by farmers
- Where
- Kenema, Eastern Province, Sierra Leone
- Witnesses
- Mende farmers and art historians
- Status
- Origins debated
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.