House of the head "ile ori" ·  Nigéria, Yoruba · ID: 3037361

Description

three objects, cloth, leather, dyed in parts (green), cowrie shells, cylindrical boxes with lid, coated with cloth and embroidered with cowrie shells, the lids additionally adorned with leather applications, bowls of fabric, leather discs, glass bowls etc., all three min. dam. (missing part at the bottom with one object), traces of old age;
throughout Yorubaland, a person venerates his or her “ori-inu” (“inner head”), a personal spirit that guides an individual’s destiny. The symbol of the inner head is a small conical object, which is in turn secreted in a larger container with a conical lid called “ile-ori”, literally, “house of the head.” The “ile-ori” serves as a shrine to the “ori-inu”. Both the cowrie ornamentation and the conical shape are significant. Because of the association of cowries with currency and wealth, the cowrie-decorated “ile-ori” shrine honours the “ori-inu” and elevates the prestige of the owner.