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Oct 1, 2016 - Oct 2, 2016
A Shango staff with female figure. Nigeria, Yoruba. 1st half 20th century. 16 1/2"h without base.
Provenance: Inventory and Collection from the Estate of Merton D. Simpson. Catalog Notes: This Shango (also known as Sango) staff would have been owned by a priestess of the Shango cult. As Schweizer (2014: 106-108) explains: モIn Yoruba spiritual belief, orun, the otherworld, was inhabited by orisa (gods), ara orun (ancestors), and various other spirit beings (oro, iwin, ajogun, and egbe). The Yoruba pantheon of orisa was composed of deified ancestors and/or personified forces of nature. Based on their different personalities, one could distinguish ムcool and temperateメ gods (orisa funfun), which were gentle, calm, and reflective, from the ムhot and temperamental gods (orisa gbigbone), which were harsh, aggressive, and quick-tempered. One of the ムhot and temperamentalメ gods (orisa gbigbone) that were harsh, aggressive, and quick-tempered is Sango, who was according to mythology the king (oba) of the Oyo Empire during his lifetime and deified after his death as the god of thunder. The cult of Sango was widespread through Yorubaland, and numerous objects were made for his shrines and celebratory rituals. Priestesses of Sango danced with a dance wand (ose sango), demonstrating devotion to their lord. The overall architecture of ose sango is fairly consistent, comprising a handle at the bottom, a female figure embodying the Sango priestess in the center, and a V-shaped element representing a double-axe or thunderbolts on top.ヤ This is a superb shango staff with a great surface, balance, and carving. For a similar object see Sotheby's, New York, "In Pursuit of Beauty: The Myron Kunin Collection of African Art", November 11, 2014, lot 67.
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