Figure of a dhami
Western Nepal
Wood, dense layer of offering substances and smoke
Kamero (white-clay pigment) Piece of dhaza (cotton)
146 years old (± 30); C14, test no. 23705, Radiocarbon Dating Lab, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
H. 51 cm.

Christian Lequindre Collection

This kind of figure would be kept inside a ghar madu (shrine) and regularly nourished with offerings—sacrificial blood, milk kamero (white-clay pigment), or smoke. Once satisfied, it would exercise protection and power over nature.