Ancienne figure d'autel "ikenga", 19e siècle

Description

wood, encrusted patina, pigments, sacrificial traces, rest., base

“Ikenga”, which means “place of strength”, are storage containers for the “chi”, the life energy of a person.

A striking and rare detail of this figure are the carved heads arranged in a ring around the head of the “ikenga, in which the power of the ancestors seems to be bundled. A comparable figure can be found at the African Heritage Documentation & Research Centre (AHDRC 0093427).