Igbo Standing Fetish Figure with Attached Ball Nigeria

Igbo beliefs system includes a number of deities known as alusi, who represent abstract forces of nature as well as physical places such as rivers. The alusi spirits symbolize principles of good and evil as well as ancestors and culture heroes who insure the well being of the family and village. They are given form as sculpted human figures and kept in cult shrines where they are ritually addressed and given offerings to insure their good will to insure that crops grow, babies are born and people will conduct themselves in a moral and socially appropriate manner. Sculptures will often have their bodies repainted on the cult day of the shrine and in some instances clothed by women as they celebrate the spirit and the venerated ancestors. appropriate manner. There are a number of sub-styles of Igbo carving and it is often difficult to determine which village was the place of origin for the figures.

AO1122