Moba Standing Figure on Custom Base Togo

The Moba people, residing in northern Togo, extending into Burkina Faso and some parts of northern Ghana, possess diviner-prescribed figures called "tchitcheri sakab." These figures, representing clan ancestors, are integral to shrines known as tingban, dedicated to the earth. Varying in size, larger examples are often partially buried in the earth near the shrine, bearing names of ancestors and sometimes adorned with miniature farming tools. Carved from light-colored wood, Moba figures are highly abstract, devoid of facial features, and with minimal gender indicators. This distinct form of figure carving has not been evident among the Moba for the past century, resembling burial practices akin to the Lobi, where similar figures are also interred by family shrines.

138073