Statues of this genre are used ritually by the Bamana people of Mali. Typically it would be the focus of what they call a "sacrifice" in which offerings of various substances - like the blood of a chicken that was killed for this purpose - would be made in honor of a spirit which this figure represents.

This figure measures:
20 1/2 x 6 x 7" wide (52 x 15 x 18 cm)