Personal Warrior Ikenga Figure

Rubbed with ochre, this two-toned warrior figure bears indigenous repairs and the classic elements of an Ikenga figure. Ikengas are Alusi figures with curled horns, referencing the Igbo proverb, “the ram goes into a fight headfirst.” These personal shrine figures are exclusive to the Igbo and both honor one’s ancestors and serve as a shrine to the power of the right hand. Warrior Ikengas like this example typically hold a knife in the right hand and a severed human head in the other; this figure also sports a belt with four human heads. This object was part of a cache of African wood carvings found in the rear of a Manhattan warehouse locker, where all the objects were wrapped in newspaper dated June 16, 1974. Other items in these boxes were similarly from southern Nigeria, areas caught up in the Biafran Civil War, 1967-1970. Ex Sidney and Gae Berman.

21″

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