TERA Gallery - African Art and Antiquities

"Altering The Way You View The World Of Art"
Type of Object:   
    Igbo "Ofo" Ritual Object Currency
    18th c.

    A three footed, ornate bronze implement from Nigeria,  these
    objects are personal altars and mediums used to communicate
    with spirits.  Called Ofo,  this rare old object is a prestige object
    which would have been owned by an elder member, or "okpara,"
    of the "ummuna," which is one of the major lineage groups,
    consisting of villagers descended from the same father but
    different mothers.  The Ofo are discarded or placed in the
    ancestral shrine when the owner dies.  A number of these small,
    well cast objects have been found among the western Igbo in
    Nigeria near the town of Akwa. Known locally as Ofo, they are of
    an undetermined age; however, some have been dated to
    hundreds of years prior to the present.

    As symbolic objects they serve a similar purpose as do the cast
    brass Ogboni figures among the Yoruba in that the owner has the
    right and social obligation to participate in determining the
    community's future and insuring social control. The "ofo" bronzes
    could have served a variety of functions, all the way from being a
    symbol of prestige or sacred family object, to making  contact with
    deities and to validate rituals and oath taking ceremonies.  They
    are badges of office that reflect ones position in Igbo society with
    the rights to give opinions, pass judgment upon individuals and to
    make offerings for the family and community to the highest deities.
    The actual meaning of ofo is "the sacred branch"--at one time
    probably a literal term which has since become obscured by myth.

    Igbo metalwork includes cast gongs and Ofo ritual objects (cast
    solid), plus iron ceremonial staffs and axes and a post held
    together and adorned with iron.  This cast brass Ofo has four
    small legs on the bottom holding it off the earth with balanced
    designs on the top consisting of four sets of joined swirl patterns
    with similar forms on the handle. The lost wax bronze cast Ofo
    appear to be solid brass because of their weight but it is due to
    the fact that the clay used as part of the investment was never
    scraped out after firing and remains as a solid baked clay plug.

    The Igbo are a fascinating people as represented by this lovely
    and curious object.  
   
Ethnic Group:
    Ibo Society
    Urhobo Society
    Ijaw Society
    Isoko Society           

Country of Origin:          
    Nigeria

Material:                       
    Bronze/Gold

Deminsions:
    2.5" x 1.5"


Reference:                  
    Karl Ferdinand Scheidler’s book ‘Earth and Ore”.