Adangbe Iron Fetish Figure, Based

Bound at the chest with blue-stained cloth and carrying more than its fair share.

This fetish figure, based, is Adangbe, from Ghana, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is carved wood, pigment and iron. In many West African traditions, figures of this kind are generally understood to be activated by the materials attached to them. This standing figure has a pointed, almond-shaped head, a narrow face and short, sturdy legs. Strips of cloth and binding, stained bright blue, cross the chest and hold small objects against the body, and a long curved element extends to one side. It is 8.5 inches high, 4.5 wide and 4 deep.

Small, sturdy and fully committed to the job.