Altar tusk of an ancestral altar ·  Nigéria, Bénin · ID: 3035614

Description

ivory, plaited band decor in bas-relief, min. dam., missing parts (rim), cracks through age;
tusks symbolize attributes of the elephant, such as physical power, leadership, wisdom and longevity, all of which are appropriate for the Oba. Because of their hardness, the tusks are considered to be a suitably permanent material on which to carve motifs meant to enlighten future generations. Ivory’s colour is also important, its whiteness being reminiscent of the color of chalk “orhue”, a symbol of ritual purity that is associated with “olokun”, the “edo” god of the sea. The altar tusks were washed and bleached with citrus juice to remove the remains of sacrifices and to keep them as white as possible.

Littérature comparée

Yale Archive No. 0027068 (comparable object)