Standing female figure
Description
wood, slightly shiny blackish patina, voluminous forms, rich scarifications on body and face, crested coiffure with plaits and bun in the nape, slightly dam., cracks (face, base, left leg), rep. (breakage in the right shoulder area; chips at the buttocks and right thigh, as well as at the right breast), minor insect caused missing parts, plate;
the Afo are a small ethnical group in central Nigeria, calling themselves Eloyi. They have their homeland to the north of the Benue river. Most of their figurative sculpture depicts female figures or caryatides, mostly mother and child, as embodyment of the mythical mother archetype. The figures are common property of the village and only once a year during the “aya” ceremonies would they be brought out to the central square of the village where they received libations and used to ask for the good fertility of the soil and of the woman.