Accession Number
2005/1.242

Title
Ogboni gong

Artist(s)
Yoruba

Artist Nationality
Yoruba (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
20th century

Medium & Support
bronze

Dimensions
6 11/16 in x 3 1/4 in x 3 3/8 in (16.99 cm x 8.25 cm x 8.57 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern

Subject matter
The Ogboni (or Osugbo) is the name of the society that mediates communication between the community and ile, the earth, according to some scholars (cf. Lawal, Yoruba, 2012, pp. 48-50; Drewal, Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought, 1989, p. 136-7; Thompson, Black Gods and Kings, 1971). In the pre-colonial past, the society had numerous political, judicial, and religious powers (cf. Lawal, Yoruba, 2012, pp. 48-50). Members, both men and women, selected the new king or removed a bad or unpopular one from office. While the society does not have much power today, membership is still considered prestigious (cf. Lawal, Yoruba, 2012, pp. 48-50). A gong or bell such as this one, called agogo, would have been shaken by senior members of the society to acknowledge greetings from friends and family. The face on the gong has features typical of Ijebu Yoruba objects, such as the large eyes, flared nostrils, and the two straight or crescent shaped marks on the forehead (cf. Drewal, Yoruba, 1989, p. 124). The female figure on the side of the gong may refer to Olokun, the Yoruba water deity (cf. Drewal, Yoruba, 1989, p. 144). The image of Olokun on Ijebu Yoruba objects has also been connected to Mami Wata, a water spirit found throughout the African and Atlantic world, formed through transatlantic trade between the 16th and 19th century. A combination of African, European, Hindu, Christian, and Muslim figures, she has come to embody procreation and fertility (cf. Drewal, “Mami Wata: Arts for Water Spirits in Africa and Its Diasporas” in African Arts, Vo. 41 No. 2, 2008).

Physical Description
Bell or gong in the form of a rectangular human head. On each side there is an image of a woman surrounded by what may be snakes. At the top of the object is an open loop. The bottom of the object is open with some cracks along the bottom edges.

Primary Object Classification
Metalwork

Collection Area
African

Rights
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Keywords
Musical instruments
bell
ceremonial objects
ceremonial sound devices
communication (function)
knowledge
power