Standing male shrine figure ·  Nigeria, Niger Delta, Ijaw · ID: 3048206

Description

wood, fabric, missing parts, base

The Ijaw were the first to arrive in the delta of the Niger at around 800 AD. They believe in a single female god, “wonyinghi”, in ancestral spirits, but especially in spirits of nature “oru” who live in the wilderness surrounding villages and towns.

Hence, most of their rituals invoke bush and water spirits, most shrines are dedicated to them and almost all sculptures and masks serve to represent them.

Many bush spirits were depicted as warriors, based on the human model, but with aggressive bared teeth in open mouths. For the Ijaw describe these spirits as ugly, gigantic creatures with volatile tempers - in short, extremely frightening.

Comparing literature

Cole, Herbert M., Invention and Tradition, Munich, London, New York 2012, p. 71 Anderson, Martha G., Ways of the Rivers, Los Angeles 2002, p. 142