Four staffs "opa osanyin" ·  Nigeria, Yoruba · ID: 3050986

Description

iron, corroded, each on a base, three of them on stone

a) staff with fourteen witch birds, h: 46 cm
b) staff with fourteen witch birds, h: 41.5 cm
c) staff with three witch birds, h: 45.7 cm
d) small staff with eight witch birds, h: 16 cm

The Yoruba believe that the power of “Osanyin”, the deity of herbal medicine, is manifest in such wrought-iron sticks, the so-called “opa osanyin”. They traditionally consist of a circle of sixteen witch birds round a larger bird that symbolizes “Orunmila”, the god of wisdom. “Osanyin” is a younger brother of Orunmila’s.

Priests and herbalists call on the help of “Osanyin” to combat illnesses and other misfortunes, which are usually caused by malevolent forces (witches).

The object Four staffs “opa osanyin” with the object ID 3050986 was part of the auction Auction 103 on November 16, 2024. The object with the lot number 28 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,100 with an asking price of EUR 800.

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