Soul container figure "iran otibago" · Guinea-Bissau, Bissagos Islands, Bidjogo · ID: 3047385
Description
wood, encrusted patina, red pigment,
These figures serve as homes for the souls of revered deceased. They provide the living with a means of cummunicating with the ancestors as well as with the surpeme deity (“orrebuco-ocoto”).
An “iran otibago” can belong to an individual or to an entire village. In either instance it is given offerings and appealed to for a wide range of personal and communal concerns.
The “iran” were called in case of illness, civil disputes, to investigate and punish witchcraft or to confirm a village chief. It is reported that before each arable activity animal sacrifices were offered to the “iran” and after the harvest a part of the yield had to be sacrificed to him.
“Iran otibago” figures are stored in a traditional “candjamo” shrine maintained by a female priest (“oquinca”).
The object Soul container figure “iran otibago” with the object ID 3047385 was part of the auction 96th Auction on April 24, 2021. The object with the lot number 150 achieved a sales price of EUR 9,000 with an asking price of EUR 5,000.
You can find more Figures and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.
Publications
Savary, Claude, Arts africains dans les collections privées neuchâteloises, Fondation Le Grand-Cachot-De-Vent 1985, cat. 30
AHDRC: 0056632
Exhibition
Neuchâtel, Switzerland: "Arts africains dans les collections privées neuchâteloises", Fondation Le Grand-Cachot-De-Vent, 8 June-11 August, 1985