African Arts Gallery

This bronze figurine, with prominent features, was worn as a pendant around the neck by members of the Ogboni society. It was usually accompanied, connected by a chain, by a similar figure of the opposite sex, forming the Edan . Greenish-brown crusty patina, rusty inlays.
The Ogboni/Ogoni people are spread over a small area of the Gulf of Guinea, east of the city of Port Harcourt in Nigeria. Like other peoples in the Gulf of Guinea, the Ogonis have an internal political structure run by leaders. They are among the peoples who escaped the black trade during the slave era thanks to relative geographical isolation.

The secret society Ogboni or Oshugbo is one of the most famous religious societies that worship the Owner of the Earth, Onilè , and it is still powerful today. Some have suggested that female and male representations might refer to heaven as a male entity and the earth symbolizing femininity, or to the founding couple of human society. Although some Ogboni works are made of wood, terracotta, or ivory, the majority are brass reinforced with iron, which has a connection with Osun , the goddess of river and fertility. Iron is on the other hand sacred to Osun, god of sous and weapons. The expression Ogboni, Ogbodirin means to be a no-goer Aged and always be as strong as iron. Similarly, Ogboni's motto is Longevity and prosperity.