The Fon people of Dahomey, a small state to the west of Nigeria, have an artistic style very different from any other in West Africa. Far from the angular geometry of most African sculpture, their figures are moulded with thin, curved limbs and life-like fullness to the bodies. This singular style is used to depict an activity common among all tribes in Africa. Vessels such as this usually hold corn, dried yams, or ginger that women grind with long pestels with rounded ends, such as the ones held by these two figures. In African villages this pounding makes a beautiful sound and women often entertain themselves by turning the rhythmic pounding into music as their small children rest on their backs. Through this small representation we begin to feel the communal atmosphere of life in an African village, and its people's ability to make all aspects of life enjoyable.