Kneeling shrine figure "onile" ·  Nigeria, Yoruba · ID: 3049129

Description

copper alloy (bronze, brass), patina,

Figures “onile” symbolize the original founders of the community. They are owned by the the “ogboni” society and are kept in the inner sanctum of the “ogboni” house.

Drewal reports that elaborate rites are conducted to infuse spiritual power into them. The “onile” is prepared with such powerful substances that to see it is to risk blindness or even death.