Very rustic wooden statue from the Tiv ethnic group of Nigeria

Height: 75 cm

The Tiv people

The name of the ethnic group is that of their oldest known ancestor. Settled on the banks of the Benue River, the Tiv, numbering one million, live from agriculture.

Tiv art

We know of two different types of statues:

- Elongated statues, with a rounded head, a crest hairstyle and sometimes scarifications at the corners of the lips, which were most often used as posts for reception huts.

- Statues called ihambé linked to the concept of fertility and marriages; they represent seated men or women.

The Ihambé Tiv statue

presented here seems to defy the laws of balance: Is this the sculptor's intention or simply an adaptation to the piece of wood used?