A wooden Ikenga Fetish Figure whose body is wrapped in textile fibre. Natural patina with traces of age.

The diversity of the Ikenga
The Igbo exhibit a great deal of inner diversity that is visually evident. Their culture with rituals and customs throughout Igboland, and the tradition of the Ikenga is no exception. In some Igbo communities, for example, the owners of the ikenga participate in an annual ikenga festival where the ikengas are honoured in the belief that if appeased, they will bring success and wealth to their owners. In addition, the attachment of each ikenga to a particular person may account for the variety of its detail and degree of ornamentation, but differences may also be attributed to nuances in local beliefs and practices, or to other circumstances.
Occasionally, for example, a lack of success in life may prompt an owner to exchange his existing ikenga for a new one. A newly titled holder may replace his old ikenga with a newer one.
Lit.: Sunanda K. Sanyal (Smarthistory,The Center for public Art History)

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Height: 64 cm
Weight: 1400 g