Altar Orebuko Okoto
Bidjogo · Sierra Leone
Reference: OYA-15
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- Height
- 43 cm
- Material
- Wood, rag, rope and cane foils.
Family altar intended to worship ancestors. For Bidjogo everything sacred is called “iran”, whether it is an altar, a statue or a seat, and they are…
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Full original description
Family altar intended to worship ancestors. For Bidjogo everything sacred is called “iran”, whether it is an altar, a statue or a seat, and they are respected and feared objects. This is an old and very rare piece.
ForAñakiinhabitants of Canhabaque, aorebuko(plural:arebuko) is any sacred, material or immaterial object or made by themselves to be the seat in which a divinity or an ancestor is incarnated. Eastorebukojust like all cylindrical body represents a representsYakunuethe spirit of the land of the people and it is the whole people who worship him on the occasion of the agricultural festivities and on those in which thanks are shown to the king, for it is the king who is responsible for the custody of thisorebukoHe is also involved in questioning the deceased.
The base of the altar is topped by a long ringed neck of a bird that could symbolically represent the calao. It lacks the rough pumpkin that hangs from the top and contains the water that keeps life in nature and is the main receptacle to contain the magical ingredients. He has also lost the amulets that usually carry these pieces.
Remains of sacrificial materials are appreciated.
Further technical information
- Width
- 12 cm
- Attributed period
- First third century XX or older
Details transcribed from the original catalogue; they are not a recent physical inspection.
Country on the map
Sierra Leone. The country associated with the catalog is shown, not the current location of the piece.
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Attributions, dates and accounts come from the preserved catalogue. They do not constitute certification of authenticity or provenance. An object’s presence on this website does not mean it is available for sale.