Ogboni staff / Artist Unknown, African, Yoruba Peoples Nigeria
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2001/2.39
- Title
- Ogboni staff
- Artist Nationality
- Nigerian
- Medium and Support
- brass, iron
- Object Creation Date
- 1900-1970
- Object Creation Place
- Africa (continent)
- Nigeria (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Africa (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Nigeria (nation)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Margaret H. and Albert J. Coudron
- Dimensions
- 77 cm x 7 cm x 6 cm (30 5/16 in. x 2 3/4 in. x 2 3/8 in.)
- Primary Object Classification
- Costume and Costume Accessory
- Primary Object Type
- staff
- Secondary Object Classification
- Ritual Objects
- Secondary Object Type
- figure
- Physical Description
- Brass female figure, kneeling with buttocks on the heels, atop an iron staff. The protruding eyes, nose, and mouth convey a serene, dignified and somewhat withdrawn look. The figure has a beard around the face; she wears ornamentation in small holes atop the ears, cone-shaped headgear, and an elaborate necklace; there is a small spiral motif on the forehead, and two larger spiral motifs on the sides of the body. The hands are held in closed fists in front of the body, the left hand on top of the right.
- Subject Matter
- The anthropomorphic brass staffs and figures of the Ogboni society usually come in male-female pairs and are called "Edan." This example is female, as indicated by the breasts and genitals. Female "edan" have beards, too, like their male counterparts-- the beard signifying old age, experience, and wisdom. The staff is an emblem of membership in the Ogboni society of the Yoruba peoples of southwestern Nigeria; the gesture of the hands made by the figurine on top shows the way members greet each other (with fists clenched, left hand over the right: representing the supremacy of the earth). The Ogboni society (also called the Oshugbo society) is a council made up of male and female elders proven to have high integrity and mature judgement. In precolonial times, and to a lesser extent today, this council fulfilled a number of political, judicial and spiritual functions, including the selection and removal of kings and punishment of serious offenders.
- Secondary Keywords
- associated concepts
- ceremonial weapons
- descriptors
- inorganic material
- iron and iron alloy
- materials
- materials by composition
- metal
- metal and metal products
- metal by composition or origin
- objects we use
- people and culture
- political concepts
- sculpture
- sculpture by subject type
- social science concepts
- statues
- visual works
- visual works by medium or technique
- weapons
- weapons and ammunition
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 714 x 1496
- File Size
- 94 KB
- Record
- 2001/2.39
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2001-sl-2.39/2001_2.39.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:2001-SL-2.39:2001_2.39.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Ogboni staff; Artist Unknown, African, Yoruba Peoples Nigeria." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2001-sl-2.39/2001_2.39.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 20, 2024.
