Idoma ‘Alusi’ Shrine Figure

ITEM #:
5698-1
ETHNICITY:
Idoma
ORIGIN:
Nigeria
MEDIUM:
Wood, pigment.
DIMENSIONS:
11.5″ Tall  (29.2 cm)
CONDITION:
Good.

PROVENANCE:
Private Estate Collection – California, USA.

CATALOGUE NOTE:
The Idoma are an ethno-linguistic group that primarily inhabit the lower western areas of Benue State, Nigeria, and kindred groups can be found in Cross Rivers State, Enugu State and Nasarawa State in Nigeria.in the southeast of Nigeria, have a rich pantheon with numerous gods. According to the Ibos, they lead a very ‘human’ life in their own world: with families, children, and even with animals. These numerous families of gods are represented by the Idoma carvers in sculptures that are placed in shrines and worshipped by believers. The present figure depicting one such ‘divine being’, also known as ‘Alusi’, clearly belongs, on the grounds of its stylistic features, to the southern settlement area of the Ibo (Onitsha region): This specimen is impressively antiquated with a weathered patina. The coiffure is an icon pattern of threaded hair braid common among West Africans.