Ìkéǹgà shrine figure
Not on view
The personal achievements of men have been associated with the right hand in Igbo society. Their ambitious pursuits are honored through the construction of shrines that receive regular offerings to ensure their continued efficacy. Ìkéǹgà may take a broad range of material forms. The classic imagery of this example features a flourish of curving ram’s horns, emblematic of stubborn perseverance, at the summit. In either hand the figure brandishes attributes of male virility in the form of a machete and the skull of a vanquished foe.
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