Fon Voodoo Fetish Benin Tribal

Fon Voodoo Fetish, Benin Wood & fabric smeared with magical material, ca. 1970 450g Weight: 450 g Height: 27 cm Length / depth: 14 cm Width: 9 cm This voodoo fetish was in use until around 1970. It is badly eroded and has many signs of use. It was brought from Benin by a French collector. Like most other Fon fetishes, this one is basically a wooden figurine that has been "dressed up" with fabric, rope, and shells, which have then been coated with some sort of paste. Magic made of clay and various animal materials (hair, bone dust, fat), which may also have hair and/or human bone fragments incorporated into it. The curved forearms meet at the belly to hold the hollowed out, cube-shaped vessel, which has also been filled with a mixture of magical or divinatory matter (depending on the fetish's purpose). It is the participants in the voodoo ritual ceremony who touch the fetish with their magical-matter-coated hands while chanting incantations and often inhaling hallucinogenic fumes. The art of the Fon has been shaped mainly by that of the Yoruba and the Ewe over the centuries... but not only... the voodoo ritual has in fact had its own influence on sculpture and the way of thinking about forms. The Fon's "voodoo" is also a name derived from the Yoruba word meaning "god". Insured shipping worldwide Thank you so much for visiting AfricaArtSpirit, your mystery portal to the best kept treasures of Africa. Explore all our collections at: https://www.ballwool.com/shop/africaartspirit Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or wish to learn more about any of our pieces from our special art collection. Thank you so much!