Figure of a Deity with Two Heads

Origin: Lobi Tribe, Burkina Faso
Composition: wood, terracotta dust pigment stain/covering

The Lobi live in the south-west of Burkina Faso, and also in northern Ivory Coast and Ghana. They follow traditional, ancestor-based beliefs and their traditions are some of the best preserved in Africa. The live in distinctive fortress-like mud-brick compounds (re: “Lobi”, Lonely Planet, pg 224).

Spiritually [the Lobi] revere spirits known as Thil, associated with the land, and the people of the Lobi live under the rules, protection and beneficence of these deities. Each family compound has at least one presiding Thil, to which a shrine is built under the direction of diviner, housing vessels, abstract iron figures and Bateba, stone and wood figures which are believed to embody the Thil spirits. The Bateba thus act as an intermediary between the family community and the spirits.

The carving itself is a wonder; the measured division between the heads and cubist linear elements of the ears, heads and body are outstanding. The very hard local wood makes it difficult to carve and almost encouraged the carver to create a very subtle, somewhat understated piece. Some scholars believe that two-headed Bateba figures such as this are thought to represent deities who have greater power than the single headed figures. The lack of hair on both of the heads may represent the shedding of negative energy or a response to an onset of harmful spirits."A Lobi belief is that evil spirits are attracted by states of weakness and can harm a person through their hair, thus at first sight, shaving the head would appear to be response to a state of physical or mental weakness. The hair is believed to be the strongest part of an individual. In the event of disease, cutting off the hair is seen to act directly on the thuu (vital principal) to protect it more closely and thus cure that person when beset by negative energies” (reference, R.A.A.com, Lobi).

Interesting cultural note: In other West African tribes (such as in Ivory Coast and Ghana), there are proverbs where two heads arise from a single torso or body. This image illustrates a proverb of interdependence or unity; we all share the same beating heart; if you separate us we will both perish.