Ritual staff "edan oshugbo" ·  Nigeria, Yoruba · ID: 3031091

Description

brass, iron, in shape of a squatting female figure with both hands up to the breasts, eyelet for support, fragmentary iron spike, on base;
“ogboni” is a secret society of the Yoruba, also called “oshugbo”. The best known “oshugbo” object is the “edan oshugbo”, a pair of bronze images male/female mounted on iron spikes, linked by an iron chain. These figures belong to individual “oshugbo” members who - after approval by an “oshugbo” official - the “apena” - take them home afer their initiation into the “oshugbo” cult. They are kept on the family shrine and they are danced on special occasions.

The object Ritual staff “edan oshugbo” with the object ID 3031091 was last part of the auction 68th tribal art auction at March 3, 2012 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 405.

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Comparing literature

Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture, München 2009, p. 489