Bateba Figure (SOLD)
Tribe: Lobi
Country: Burkina Faso
Material: Wood
Size: 7" Tall
The figures were placed on family altars in the thilda, a small sacristy or room in each dwelling. Each figure was not a representation but an actual spirit, or tibil thil.
It protected the family and home from illness and other misfortunes.
The spirit could also be used for divination; it could demand offerings
and additions of other figures. Rarely, a head is used similarly to the
figures. The accumulation of statues on a family altar gave social
status and were passed on from father to son. |
