Pair of ritual staffs "edan oshugbo"
Nigéria, Yoruba
n'est plus disponible
Provenance
Theo A.H.M. Dobbelmann, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsTaille
H: 20 cm resp. 20,5 cm
H: 7.9 inch resp. 8.1 inch
Description
brass, partly encrusted patina, nearly identical kneeling figures, male/female, mounted on iron spike, min. dam., fissures, traces of corrosion, on wooden base;
“ogboni” is a secret society of the Yoruba, also called “oshugbo”. The best known “oshugbo” object is the “edan oshugbo”, a pair of bronze images male/female mounted on iron spikes, linked by an iron chain. These figures belong to individual “oshugbo” members who - after approval by an “oshugbo” official - the “apena” - take them home afer their initiation into the “oshugbo” cult. They are kept on the family shrine and they are danced on special occasions.