Moba Wood Standing Figure, Based

Very long, very thin, and in no way apologizing for either.

This standing figure is Moba, from Togo in West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is carved wood. Moba families and clans are known to set such figures in outdoor shrines, as links to ancestors they call on for protection and good fortune, though meanings vary by size and place. A blocky head and torso narrow into long, hanging arms and a single stem. That stem splits into a fork for the legs. The surface is rough and looks weathered. Forty-six inches high on its base.

It has been pared down to what it needs.