Carved wooden form with large handle on one side, deep well handled surface patina on dry ancient wood.  Such Objects are exceedinly rare, dating to the 16th century or earlier. The Tellem are the precusor culture to the Dogon of Mali, West Africa.  According to the Met Museum " What little is known of Tellem society is based on the contents of remote chambers of Bandiagara necropoli, or collective burial sites. Tellem residents of villages located at the foot of the high cliff in the Séno plain went to great lengths to hoist up and deposit their dead for safeguarding within its caves, along with precious possessions and agricultural reserves. Among the items of adornment recovered are beads made of glass, quartz, and carnelian. Other intimate possessions that accompanied their owners into the afterlife include headrests and stools."
 
This Headrest Measures 8.5 x 5 inches.
  Provenance: A Private New Jersey Collection.
 Exhibited in the SMA Museum of African Art in 2012.