The Yoruba are a Central Nigerian tribal group,
originally descended from a Hausa migration
from
the northeast in about 900 AD. A small kingdom
� Ile Ife � was founded by Oduduwa,
followed by great sociopolitical expansion into
Southwest Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The
influence of the city was felt far beyond these
boundaries, however, and many smaller political
entities were held under its sway. Communities
were presided over by the Oba (king) and
various
senates (Ogboni), and councils made up of guild
leaders, merchants and the lesser aristocracy
(related to the Oba). The Yoruba have an
exceptionally rich and diverse mythology, history
and religious context, all of which are directly
linked to their artistic output; in Yoruba society,
this grouped heritage is known as the Itan. They
also choose to decorate much of their secular
materials � from kitchenware to architectural
pillars � with ornately carved figurative and
geometric designs. This piece is part of the
magico-religious world, and would have
originally
have been part of an altar or religious shrine to
Shango. This god of thunder and lightning is the
most popular Orisha (a spiritous incarnation of
the god Olodumare, which may be in any natural
object or phenomenon) in the Yoruba pantheon
of
deities. He is said to be ancestral to the Yoruba
people, and performs all kinds of functions
within
societies in Africa and the New World alike. He is
also linked to twins and fertility, an issue of
constant concern for the Yoruba as they have
the
highest twinning rate in the world. He controls
the
arts of dance and entertainment, of music and is
represented by the oshe (double headed axe).
His
sacred number is 6 and he is master of the
colours red and white. Worship of Shango is
believed to bring with it a great deal of power
and
restraint to the worshipper, who further hold that
Shango throws lightning bolts at his followers
and
thus leaves impressions of his axe on the earth
that can be seen after rain. Shango worshippers
tend to own dance wands that are displayed in
their homes. While styles vary, most of them
feature a female follower of Shango kneeling
with
paired lightning bolts and often an oshe behind
their heads. The current piece refers to the same
general function, but was designed as a public
rather than private piece of religious statuary. Its
grandiose nature is in itself different from most
Shango cult items, but while the central, serene
female worshipper is usually depicted kneeling,
this one is astride an elephant. Clad in a
decorated hat, several bracelets and a skirt, she
is evidently young and apparently unperturbed
by
her irascible mount and the two soldiers
kneeling
beside her and gripping her wrists. She is
framed
with a large arc that resembles the lightning
bolts
usually seen on dance wands, which is itself
decorated with two sets of three raised pellets
and two posts. A lizard, finely decorated with
hatched incised lines and the remains of pale
pigment, is attached to these posts. It is tied into
position by a pair of snakes, and is leaning over
and kissing (?) the forehead of the central figure.
The soldiers are carrying what appear to be
oshe
shango axes, and are dressed in quasi-military
apparel topped off with askari hats. The
elephant
is depicted with bowed head, and is rendered
with considerable expressionism and with an
ornate bridle running around its head. The base
is
roughly oval and plain except for a single incised
line around the top and hatching on the four
legs.
The relief parts of the figures and the base retain
flecks of white paint or kaolin, and most of the
elevated portions of the piece are polished with
a
handling patina. Condition is good, with some
markings and minor damage commensurate
with
the age of the piece. This is an impressive and
enigmatic piece of African art.
- (LSO.577)
|
