Male ancestor figure "ekpu" ·  Nigéria, Oron · ID: 3041433

Description

wood, partly shiny brown patina, elongated pear-shaped body with short legs and scarification marks, crowned by an oval head with long chin beard and high headgear, holding two oblong items in his hands, dam., missing parts through insect caused damage (legs, back), cracks, traces of abrasion, base;
a small subgroup of the Ibibio, the Oron have their homeland on the estuary region of the Cross River and have become famous for their ancestor figures. The tradition to carve those figures probably lasted only until the turn of the 20th century. When Kenneth C. Murray discovered them in 1938, the cult has become already obsolete, the shrines were on decay. Although 600 statues were still counted in 1959, when a museum has been installed for the then still existing sculptures, only about a hundred were left, after the raging of the Biafra war. The rest has been destroyed or looted by the conquerors.

Publications

AHDRC: 0122592