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Iran Otibago (Ancestor Spirit Figure)

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Bookmark: http://triarte.brynmawr.edu/objects-1/info/145763



unknown Bijogo
Bijogo Primary



Iran Otibago (Ancestor Spirit Figure)

19th century - 20th century
Carved wood with pigment

15 3/8 in. x 4 3/4 in. x 4 5/16 in. (39 cm x 12 cm x 11 cm)

Bryn Mawr College
Accession Number: 99.3.40
Other Number(s): 14 (Sotheby's Lot Number)
Acquisition Date: 12/07/1996
Geography: Africa, Guinea-Bissau, Bijagós, Arquipélago dos
Classification: Ceremonial and Performance Artifacts; Ritual Objects
Culture/Nationality: Bijogo, Guinea-Bissauan, West African, African
Collection: Neufeld Collection

Keywords Click a term to view the records with the same keyword
This object has the following keywords:
  • African - Refers to the cultures of the continent of Africa, which is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea.
  • Bijogo
  • carvings - Refers to works executed by cutting a figure or design out of a solid material such as stone or wood. It typically refers to works that are relatively small in size, are part of a larger work, or are not considered art. For large and medium-sized three-dimensional works of art, use the broader term "sculpture" or another appropriate term.
  • Guinea-Bissauan - Style and culture of the people from Guinea-Bissau.
  • pigment - Any relatively insoluble organic, inorganic, natural or artificial substance that imparts a color to another substance or mixture and always appears as the same specific color when viewed in white light. It is the constituent of paint or ink that provides the color. Distinguished from a dye, which is soluble in the vehicle, a pigment is insoluble in the vehicle, but instead is held in a suspension.
  • ritual objects - Objects used for a particular ritual activity, often as part of a ceremony.
  • West African - Styles and cultures from the region comprising the westernmost area of the African continent, defined by the United Nations as including the modern nations of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
  • wood - The principal tissue of trees and other plants that provides both strength and a means of conducting nutrients. Wood is one of the most versatile materials known.

Additional Images Click an image to view a larger version

Exhibition List
This object was included in the following exhibitions:

  • Owner Name: Mace Neufeld and Helen Katz Neufeld, Class of 1953
    Role: Donor
    Place: Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, US
    Ownership End Date: 12/07/1996


Bibliography List
The following Bibliography exist for this object:
  • Important Tribal Art Sotheby's . New York, NY, 1989
    Figure Number: 14
  • "African Heritage Document and Research Center." (Accessed June 11, 2020): AHDRC.eu. Record No.: 0056564.

Comparanda List
The following Comparanda exist for this object:
  • Jean- Baptiste Bacquart, The Tribal Arts of Africa (New York, NY: Thames & Hudson, 1998), 20. Figure Number: 2
  • "African Heritage Document and Research Center." (Accessed June 11, 2020): AHDRC.eu. Record No.: 0056584.
  • "African Heritage Document and Research Center." (Accessed June 11, 2020): AHDRC.eu. Record No.: 0160615.

Related Bibliography List
The following Related Bibliography exist for this object:
  • "ÌMỌ̀ DÁRA." (Accessed May 10, 2020): Imodara.com. https://www.imodara.com/discover/guinea-bissau-bidjogo-iran-otibago-soul-container-figure/.
  • "Art and Life in Africa: Peoples." (Accessed May 11, 2020): https://africa.uima.uiowa.edu/peoples/. https://africa.uima.uiowa.edu/peoples/show/Bidyogo.
  • Tom Phillips, ed. Africa: The Art of a Continent (Munich; London; New York: Prestel Verlag and Royal Academy of Arts, 1999), 476. Figure Number: 5.140
  • f Fundación CBD-Habitat, The Bijago People: A Culture in Harmony with Nature (https://www.cbd-habitat.com/en/2019/11/17/ethnology-of-the-bijago-culture-guinea-bissau/: Fundación CBD-Habitat, 2018), 1-12.
  • Jean- Baptiste Bacquart, The Tribal Arts of Africa (New York, NY: Thames & Hudson, 1998), 20-21. Figure Number: 2

Portfolio List Click a portfolio name to view all the objects in that portfolio
This object is a member of the following portfolios:

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=BMC>cite web |url=http://triarte.brynmawr.edu/objects-1/info/145763 |title=Iran Otibago (Ancestor Spirit Figure) |author=Bryn Mawr College Library Special Collections |accessdate=3/29/2024 |publisher=Bryn Mawr College</ref>

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