Ifá divination vessel (àgéré Ifá)

mid- late 1800s
Overall: 31.7 x 15.7 x 15.9 cm (12 1/2 x 6 3/16 x 6 1/4 in.)
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Location: not on view

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Description

The mother figure of this vessel from the Southern Ekiti region represents a devotee who kneels before the gods. The vessel once held the 16 sacred palm nuts essential to divination rituals. The object was used by a priest as a medium through which to communicate with the god of fate, Orunmila, in order to gain insight into an individual’s destiny or to understand the cause of misfortune.
Ifá divination vessel (àgéré Ifá)

Ifá divination vessel (àgéré Ifá)

mid- late 1800s

Africa, West Africa, Nigeria, possibly Èkìtì State, Yorùbá-style carver

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