Sheath for ọ̀pá Oko (Oko’s staff)

Late 19th–early 20th century

Not on view

The signature emblem of Oko, the òrìṣà (deity) of agriculture, is a staff forged by a blacksmith from worn farming implements. Petitions for healing, justice, prosperity, and safe childbirth are directed toward that insignia through the medium of a priestess. Forbidden from touching the ground, the staff would be set inside an open calabash and fed harvested yams and kola nuts. This genre of beaded sheath was used to clothe the staff when it was ritually inactive. Oko is frequently honored through visual references to birds, visually evoking the presence of àwọn ìyá wa ("our mothers"), who are essential for the nourishment and sustenance of the community. Triangular flaps affixed along the perimeter signal the presence of the sacred in the physical world.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

References

Title: Sheath for ọ̀pá Oko (Oko’s staff)
Artist: Yoruba bead artist
Date: Late 19th–early 20th century
Geography: Nigeria, southwest region
Culture: Yoruba peoples
Medium: Cloth, glass beads
Dimensions: Panel - H. 49 1/2 in. x W. 13 1/2 in. x D. 1 in.
Classification: Textiles-Beadwork
Credit Line: Gift of Carol B. Kenney, in memory of Jerome P. Kenney, 2025
Object Number: 2025.97.5
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

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Adéńlá (big crown), Yoruba bead artist, Glass beads, cotton, bone, wood, mixed media offerings, Yoruba peoples — Adéńlá (big crown)
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Adéńlá (big crown), Yoruba bead artist, Glass beads, thread, cloth, Yoruba peoples — Adéńlá (big crown)
Yoruba bead artist
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Sheath for ọ̀pá Oko (Oko’s staff), Yoruba bead artist, Cloth, glass beads, Yoruba peoples — Sheath for ọ̀pá Oko (Oko’s staff)
Yoruba bead artist
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Òsanyìn puppet, Yoruba bead artist, Wood, glass beads, cloth, leather, fur, metal, pigment, Yoruba peoples — Òsanyìn puppet
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Vessel, Kweri/Kwe artist (?), Terracotta, Kweri/Kwe peoples (?) — Vessel
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