Fon Bocio Fetish in a Calabash

This Fon altar object consists of a carved wooden fetish figure wrapped in cloth and attached to a calabash. The figure is set between two metal pieces and the contents of the calabash have been painted with Reckitt’s blue pigment, commonly used in African art. The ritual processes associated with this object evidently incorporated an amalgam of sacrificial material: millet porridge, beer, ash, and cement are just some of the likely substances used. The blending of multiple mediums indicates the spiritual capacity of these fetish objects, known as bocio. Bocio are consecrated objects used for ritual purposes by diviners and priests as symbols of protection and good fortune. They are formidable extensions of one’s spiritual self, capable of prevailing over the evils of the material world as they straddle the human and mystical realms. The calabash holds symbolic meaning for the Fon, who perceived a lidded calabash “as a symbol of the universe,” with the top and bottom representing the two domains of the living and the dead (Asen: Iron Altars from Ouidah, National Museum of African Art). Additionally, calabashes were used to offer food and water to the dead. Ex Pace Primitive Gallery.

5″

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