Statues of this genre are used ritually by the Dogon 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. The top is a receptacle for holding fetish, ritual materials, for ceremonial purposes.

This figure measures:
26 x 7 x 6 1/2" (66 x 18 x 16 cm).