"Ifa" divination head "olori ikin" ·  Nigeria, Yoruba · ID: 3050956

Description

ivory,

The “babalawo” (diviners) of the Yoruba use these miniature ivory heads to demonstrate the presence of “eshu” during divination sessions. The heads are called “olori ikin” (also “ikin ifa”), which means “head or leader of the palm nuts”.

They are placed next to the divination tray “opon ifa” and, together with the sixteen sacred palm nuts and a number of other objects, form part of the divination ensemble used to invoke the god “Orunmila” (the god of wisdom, knowledge and divination).

Most authors regard “olori ikin” as a symbol for “eshu”. Rowland Abiodun surmised in 1975 that the little heads refer to the deity “Orunmila”.

The object “Ifa” divination head “olori ikin” with the object ID 3050956 was last part of the auction Auction 103 at November 16, 2024 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 196 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,400.

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Expertise

Certificate of the Nature Conservation Authority, Würzburg, No. DE-WÜS241009-303

Comparing literature

Witte, Hans, A Closer Look, Berg en Dal 2004, p. 242

Notices

This object is subject to CITES. Please note that it can only be sent within the European Union. At the present time export in third countries is prohibited, respectively, export licenses in third countries for objects containing or made of protected materials are only granted under stringent conditions.