This miniature Dogon ladder is carved from a single piece of wood and serves a spiritual, rather than functional, purpose. While full-size Dogon ladders—recognized by their Y-shaped form and deep notches—are used to access granaries and rooftops, these smaller versions are altar objects used in domestic rituals. Protected from weather and wear, mini ladders often feature sharper, more angular carvings than their full-sized counterparts. In traditional Dogon households, they are placed near a small clay vessel said to house the soul of the family head, symbolically offering the ancestral spirit a means of ascending to the beyond.