Igbo Ikenga Figure

Hand-carved by master craftsmen, Ikenga figures were commissioned among the Igbo people of Nigeria to honor an individual's accomplishments. The figures were consecrated and placed in home shrines, where they stood in testament to one’s personal achievements. Ikenga typically depict a human face or hybrid form with animal-like attributes, as seen in this figure's horn-like headdress. Often carved with swords in the right hand and implements of their trade in the left, this more abstract ikenga would nonetheless have been understood to represent the power of the right hand to cut through obstacles and carve out success.