Yoruba (Yorba, Yorouba), Nigeria, Benin and Togo

Ceremonial chopper. The over 11,000,000 Yoruba spread throughout southwestern Nigeria and parts of the neighboring republics of Benin and Togo are divided into approximately twenty separate subgroups, which were traditionally autonomous kingdoms. Ogun, the god of iron and of war is very important in Yoruba pantheon of gods. He is the god of blacksmiths, carvers and all those who use metal instruments. He is the orisha (god) “to whom other orisha bow,” for it is with his fire and anvil that the instruments of worship and the instruments of culture are forged. In the cycle of annual festivals, that for Ogun is matched in importance only by the festival of ancestors. Such choppers play some role in these festivals, but the details are not known.

Material: African bronze

Size: 19½” x 8” x 5”

Price: $295+$37 (S&H)                                 [#R1Y7O126]