Tribal Art

. This powerful sentinel built against evil spell displays a concentrated countenance, tight mouth, closed eyes. With a woman with narrow shoulders and stocky lower limbs, her hands placed on her abdomen, she seems to gather all the energy necessary for her role as a caretaker. Dark satin patina.
This botchio (from bo: 'evil' in fon, and tchio , 'cadavre') erected at the top of a pole was erected at the entrance of the village or a house in order to remove any threat, physical or spiritual. Some of them took minimalist forms, barely put on around a central trunk. The multitude of gods fon (the vodun), similar to those of Yoruba under different names, is represented by fetishes of all shapes and kinds. Their sanctuaries can be found in Togo, Dahomey, and western Nigeria. Statuettes embodying the legba protectors of the home, are often attached to them. The faithful administer daily offerings and libations to them, supposed to activate their power.