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Damalas haspainted the Sahuoté clan design of siha’e, fruit of the Sihe tree and visue ’ija ahe, bone of the fish.  

In the time of the ancestors during times of tribal warfare, the Ömie male warriors had no food while they were defending their borders in the forest far from their villages so they survived by chewing the sihe fruit, swallowing the juice and then they would spit out the pulp. This design is also know as vinouhu’e, the design of the bellybutton, which was tattooed around the navals of male initiates in the important Ujawe ceremony 

Title: Siha’e ohu’o visue’ija ahe (Fruit of the Sihe tree and bone of the fish)
Artist: Damalas Aréka (Badaru)
Medium: Natural pigments on nioge (barkcloth)
Dimensions (cm): 146 x 64cm
Hanging device: Timber dowel attached (sewn on with fabric) with two wire loops on either end to hang on two screws or nails
Catalogue Number: 11-023