Superb wooden and kaolin statuette from the Igbo (or Ibo) ethnic group of Nigeria

Height: 54 cm

The Igbo people

A people of farmers, mainly cultivating yams, the Igbo are one of the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria with the Hausa and the Yoruba; the clashes with these two ethnic groups led them to try to regain their independence in 1967 by creating Biafra, with the consequences that we remember: Massacres, famines... Biafra was reintegrated into Nigeria in 1970.

They are estimated to number just under thirty million and represent 15 to 20% of the Nigerian population; they are settled in the south-east of the country, north of the Niger Delta, in a region covered with forests and marshes.

Formerly, the Igbo lived in small independent communities (villages), governed by a council of elders whose power was counterbalanced by secret societies. Today, they are predominantly Catholic, although the traditional religion - Odinani - remains very present.

Igbo Art

Prolific and often colorful, with white as the dominant color, Igbo artists are best known for their Ikenga statues, which are placed on personal altars and receive prayers and libations before each important event in life, as well as for the very typical masks of deceased young women.

Many standing statues, such as the one presented here, embody the Igbo gods; they are grouped by symbolic families in special huts where they are revered and are only taken out of their shelter and paraded throughout the village during the annual festivals.