An Oron Figure, Lot n° 33

Ancestor figure, "ekpu Oron, Nigeria Mit Sockel / with base wood. H 105 cm. Provenance: Galerie Walu, Zurich (before 1996). The Oron are a small ethnic group living at the mouth of the Cross River. They are best known for the memorial figures called ekpu, which were made upon the passing of a dignitary. The pole-style figures, which held important dignitary symbols in their hands and were usually adorned with a hat and a chief's beard, were placed in obio shrines where they were worshipped twice a year. The tradition of carving such ancestor figures probably lasted only until the early 1900s. By the time Kenneth C. Murray discovered them in 1938, the cult had died out. In 1959, Murray inventoried about 600 figures. Most of these were destroyed during the Biafra War (1967-70) - about a hundred are in the possession of Nigerian museums and a few entered Western collections and public museums at that time. Further reading: Nicklin, Keith (1999). Ekpu. London: The Horniman Museum and Garden. CHF 4 000 / 8 000 EUR 4 000 / 8 000