John,

The above pictures happen to be from nearby Togo, and not Mali. However, similar markets are found all over this region. Animistic religions (which often use various animal parts in some of their religious rites) are undoubtedly dominant in most areas of west Africa, despite claims of being christian or muslim.

We met several people in Mali for example who admitted to us that they told missionaries (both christian and muslim) that they were either the one or the other, depending on who asked (doing so would often result in some kind of financial benifit), but in reality, they worshipped in the same traditional beliefs that their forefather have always done. It seems that in much of west Africa, this is the rule, rather than the exception.

Ps. If you look closely behind my wifes left shoulder, you can see an elephant skull all the way in the back.

Erik