Ritual staffs "edan oshugbo"
Nigeria, Yoruba
not available anymore
Provenance
Theo A.H.M. Dobbelmann, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsSize
H: 35 cm
H: 13.8 inch
Description
brass, iron, seated figures, male/female, mounted on iron spike, the male one holding an oblong item, the female grasping her breasts, linked to each other by a chain, min. dam., small missing parts, traces of corrosion, base;
“edan oshugbo” staffs 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 “edan” might be a single staff or a pair of bronze images male/female mounted on iron spikes and linked by an iron chain.