FINE SHRINE FIGURE. NIGER DELTA, NIGERIA

West African shrine figure depicted with a snake coiled around its head. 

This slender, very unique wooden shrine figure was collected in the Niger Delta region of Southern Nigeria. While its precise provenance is unknown, the style is broadly consistent with devotional figures from this area, which includes the Ijaw and Urhobo peoples. Snakes are often similarly depicted in female Mami Wata figures, also from the delta regions.

The Ijaw people, who inhabit the numerous creeks and estuaries of the Niger Delta, utilize wooden figures as integral components of their spiritual life, particularly in connection with ancestral spirits and the powerful water spirits that dominate their environment.

Condition: Very good. Well-worn patina. Minimal wood loss around the groin area.