Yoruba Ceremonial Orisa Oko ‘Axe’ Wand

This fine, Yoruba ceremonial or dance wand shaped as an axe comprises the carved wooden shaft in the form of a kneeling woman, and a triangular iron blade.

The woman has prominent breasts; three horizontal scarifications (àbàjà) are incised on each cheek; her hands have been carved rigidly to her side; there is a round, plain grip; and a knob at the end from which the blade protrudes.

The depiction of a woman naked and kneeling is well known in Yoruba carving. It is a symbol of fertility and a gesture of greeting, offering and acceptance. Perhaps seen as naked and submissive to the Western eye, the form of the female is seen as gracious, generous and modest among the traditional Yoruba.

The blade most likely was reforged form a hoe blade no longer in commission after much use in farming. Refashioning it as part of a dance wand or sceptre honours the Yoruba deity Òrìsà Òkó responsible for assuring prosperity through the fertility of the land. Òrìsà Òkó is believed to be a close friend or even brother of Shango, the Yoruba thunder deity, and so this item is closely related to the aesthetic of the Shango cult.

The figure has been carved with a necklace with a large, triangular pendant on her front and on her back. Claessens (2013, p. 34-35) suggests that the triangular pendants are in fact intended to represent Islamic amulets made from leather packets called tirah. These contain Koranic citations designed to protect the wearer from ill health and bad luck. Tirah were made by Huasa in the north of Nigeria and sold by itinerant Huasa merchants who made their way south in the 19th century. Claessens argues that ibeji carved with tirah and presumably related figures are thus from the more northern parts of Nigeria. The presence of tirah did not mean that the owner of such figures was a Muslim; rather that the practice of wearing tirah for talismanic reasons was adopted by both Muslims and non- Muslims.

Such a dance wand was carried by devotees during harvest festivals, most probably the annual festival of Shango, and on other ritual occasions. During the Shango festival, devotees would dance in the streets to the thunderous rhythms of the bata drums. The dance wand would have presented a dramatic image when seen in the hand of a dancing devotee. It was waved in violent and threatening gestures to imitate the dangerous powers of Shango: unpredictable, violent, and creative and destructive – all at the same time. The Shango ritual would reach a climax when one of the devotees became possessed by Shango himself.

The Yoruba is one of the largest tribes in West Africa. There are 30 million Yoruba people in West Africa, predominantly in Nigeria. The Egbado are one of the many tribes that make up the Yoruba culture. The Egbado are found mostly in the south-western areas of Yorubaland, where the ancient Oyo Empire was founded. Igan Okoto has the biggest population of the Egbado people.

Related ceremonial axes are in the University of Michigan Museum of Art and the British Museum.

The axe wand or sceptre has clear and unambiguous age. It has a dark, encrusted patina. There is a shrinkage related crack to one side. The base of the handle is carved with a small loop the top of which has been lost from age and use. The wand sits upright in a custom-made, wooden display stand.