Tapper

Yoruba (iroke) Divination Tapper

Nigeria
Yoruba

Ivory
Early 20th century

Height: 28cm Length: 3.1cm Width: 3.1cm
Idiophone - Struck Directly

Possibly, rendered by the Owo ivory carvers. This prestigious ivory tapper, called the "iroke", was used by the Ifa diviners ("babalawo"), who were the priests of Orunmila, the Yoruba god of fate. The pointed conical end is used to gently tap against the divination tray, called the "opon." The middle section exhibits a nude kneeling female figure holding her breasts, an image considered effective in honoring the gods and influencing the act positively towards mankind. The female depicts a stout, fleshy body, with long scarification marks on her face. During the precolonial past, the "iroke" was quite expensive in cowries currency, as ivory were reserved for the "Oba" (King of Yoruba), a few high-ranking chiefs and warrior-leaders.

Owner:
Catalog#: AF-IDST-150-20

"Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought" by Henry Drewal, John Pemberton, III, and Rowland Abiodun, 1989

© Hartenberger World Music Collection