Soul container figure "iran otibago" ·  Guinea-Bissau, Bissagos Islands, Bidjogo · ID: 3045418

Description

wood, red pigment, metal, base

The Bidjogo believe that the spirit of deceased family members live on past the expiration of the person’s body, but only for as long as the soul is remembered by surviving family members.

At death, the surviving members create a wooden figure “iran otibago”, also known as “ira” or “eraminhô” within which the spirit of the ancestor resides.
Sacrifices are regularly made to the figure to appease the ancestor within.

The “iran otibago” are called upon before every agronomic project is started, as well as for all attempts concerning the community, like initiation, enthronement of a chief or funeral festivities. Sources state that the figures are also used as a medium for consultation with the Supreme Being “orrebuco-ocoto”.

Publications

AHDRC: 0160615