Tribal Art

This female figure forms the sculpted incarnation of a edjo , hence the name edjo re akare. With igbeton high-ranking women, she also has jewelry, necklaces and scarifications. The surface remains partially encrusted with white clay and red pigments, the base on which the piece rests is fragmented. Cracks and gaps located on the lower part.
The Urhobos , living near the northwest of the Niger Delta River, form the main ethnic group of the Delta State among the 36 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They speak Urhobo, a language of the Niger-Congo group. Together with the Isoko whose art is close, they are collectively known as Sobo . Their large sculptures depicting the spirits of nature, edjo , or those depicting the founding ancestors of the clan, to whom sacrifices were offered, were grouped in shrines within the villages. They also produce figures similar to ikenga sasieds called iphri , ivwri, of half-animal, half-human form. They personify male aggression and are intended for warriors and notables. However, after consultation with the soothsayer, young children can also wear miniature iphri in the form of geometric amulets, attached to the neck.