Stool with Supportive Figure of an Ancestor or Deity

Origin: Lobi Tribe, Burkina Faso
Composition: wood

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.

The Lobi don’t use masks. Most of their woodcarvings are of human figures, typically 35cm to 65 cm high, representing deities and ancestors. They are used for ancestral shrines and years ago were found in every Lobi home. The Lobi also carve. What distinguishes Lobi carvings is their rigid appearance, detailed renditions of certain body parts, particularly the navel, eyes, and hair (re: "Lobi," Lonely Planet, pg 224).