Bell "omo" of the "ogboni" society ·  Nigéria, Yoruba · ID: 3037612

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Description

bronze, pyramidal form, head with “ogboni” tattoo on the front side, ornamental decor, loop-like handle, complete with clapper, min. dam., slight traces of corrosion;
such bells were used for ritual purposes, probably to get into contact with the ancestors. In pre-colonial times “ogboni” society had not only religious, but political and jurisdictional functions as well. With the founding of the “Reformed Ogboni Fraternity " in 1914 the old rites of the “ogboni” Society lost their meaning.

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Publications

Eisenhofer, Stefan (Hg.), Kulte, Künstler, Könige in Afrika, Linz 1997, p. 224, ill. III/3.14

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