Divination Bag (apo Ifa)

Yoruba people, Nigeria, African

20th century

  • Titles Divination Bag (apo Ifa) (Descriptive)
  • Medium bead, textile, shell
  • Dimensions 20 x 20 x 4 1/2 in. (50.8 x 50.8 x 11.4 cm)
  • Credit Line Museum purchase in memory of Mr. Bryce Holcombe with funds from Ellen and Fred Elsas and others, 1984.214
  • Work Type divination bag
  • Classification Containers

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Vessel cover dedicated to the river god, Erinle. Such vessels were used to hold "moving water" from rivers or the sea, but not from wells, Every sixteen days the water is renewed together with two stones taken from a river as symbols of Erinle. The stones are also considered analogous to embryos in the womb. Surmounted by a male figure with his arms around a bowl on a potstand, a salamander or other river animal is behind him, and ritual implements surround him.
Twisted bracelet with two spikes
Antelope
Phallic-shaped vessel with flared opening at the base, covered with patterns of reticulated ridges and raised bumps