Bidjogo Figural Spoon Guinea-Bissau African SALE Was $95

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Bidjogo Figural Spoon Guinea-Bissau African SALE Was $95:
$19.00

Titleofferjogo Figural Spoon with Carved Head Guinea-Bissau AfricanType of Objecthousehold item, ceremonial spoonCountry of OriginGuinea BissauPeopleofferjogoMaterialsWood, pigmentApproximate AgeSecond half Twentieth centuryDimensions18 inches H. x 4 inches W. Overall ConditionGoodDamage/RepairOld insect damage arrested, wear, chips

Additional Information: A well used figural spoon with a handle made of a carved surmounted by another spoon. The beautiful spoon comes from the offerjogo people from Guinea-Bissau.

Elaborate Spoons ssuch as this are best described as feast ladles used by their owner to offer food to others during public feasts. A human head or a female figure that decorated these spoons are associated with ancestor spirits said to bring positive forces in the community.

The offerjogo or Bissagos people are spread across a number of islands close to the coast of Guinea Bissau in West Africa. It was here in 1460 that a Portuguese visitor noted a number of âwooden idolsâ in place when he arrived in what must be one of the earliest accounts of African Art recorded. The figures referred to by this early visitor may have been the well-known Iran figures that characterize ancestor or earth divinities. This early indication of the use of figures must also be reflected in a parallel masking tradition present though not noted by early visitors. Close to the Guinea coast the Bissagos have through time taken some influences from the mainland but in the main have shaped their own artistic traditions reflecting local initiation and ritual practices that includes the dancing of a number of headpieces representing various animals including cattle and bush cow Shark and other fish that live in the sea around the islands. As part of initiation ceremonies offerjogo masks intervene in different initiation for the young men.

Recommended Reading: Bernatzik, H.A., Im Reich der offeryogo, 1944.

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