Item Description: A carved kneeling female figure holding a fowl in front of her. The figure is polychrome featuring a Yoruba hairstyle and facial scarifications.

Cultural Profile: At one time the Yoruba occupied the area as far west as Togo. Today the Yoruba inhabit southwestern Nigeria and parts of the Rep. of Benin. The traditional art of the Yoruba was concerned with the harmonious balance between man and the universe. This figure is sometimes referred to by the Ekiti peoples as Olumeye “one who knows honor.” It is generally thought of as a woman who is a messenger of spirits. It may have been used as a shrine container to store kola nuts for an orisha or it may have been a bowl in a home for keeping kola nuts.