C.- HIGHNESS AND MASSAGES

The family altar is a sacred place intended for the worship of ancestors and used by virtually all the animistic ethnicities of black Africa. It is the center of the vital energies and the par excellence in which the world of the living and that of the dead enters into communication, or rather that of the ancestors, because they have not died, they have simply passed into another dimension. In these altars, statues, masks and other objects intended to worship ancestors will be kept in the shelter of the eyes of the profane. Most of these statues represent the ancestors, others are erected to thank a divinity for the service rendered. In both cases they serve to intensify devotion. Normally these altars are erected in a hut, called sanctuary, especially dedicated to worship. This is where the family will celebrate their rites, prayers, libations and even animal sacrifices intended to obtain the favor of their deceased. And this is where the deceased transmit their strength, their advice, their teachings and all their help to those who still remain is this world of the living. Life in traditional Africa is inconceivable without this interaction. These altars can take multiple forms. Sometimes, as in the case of some ethnic groups, such as Igbo (Nigeria) with the Ikenga the altar can be reduced to a statue or even a mask. The altar masks do not dance or participate in dances, they are sacred masks that are kept in the sanctuary. Only priests and initiates can approach them and offer sacrifices. They are placed on the altars during ceremonies. There are also masks that are altars on which sacrifices are made.