Ring with bovine head "nyi-kar-yi" or "nokariga" · Côte d'Ivoire, Senufo · ID: 3049743
sold
EUR 750
Provenance
René David, Zurich, SwitzerlandHelmut Zake, Heidelberg, Germany
Size
H: 7 cm
D: 2,3 cm
H: 2.8 inch
D: 0.9 inch
Description
brass, base
According to Goldwater, these rings are called “rings of silence” - “nyi-kar-yi” and were used in connection with initiation ceremonies of young men into “lô” society (Goldwater, 1964, p. 26).
According to Förster, on the other hand, these rings were owned by members of a society of healers and were called “nokariga”, which means “to turn into an ox” (Förster, 1987, p. 201 ff.).
Comparing literature
Goldwater, Robert, Senufo Sculpture from West Africa, New York 1964, p. 26 f. Förster, Till, Glänzend wie Gold, Berlin 1987, p. 201 ff.