Dagari Ancestral Figure

For the Dagari people of Burkina Faso and Ghana, this highly stylized figure embodied the living spirit of a deceased ancestor. Tucked away from view in a secret alcove or shrine, the figure was used in sacred divination rituals and only seen by a select few. Bits of thread and layered material encrust the surface, evidence of the ritual offerings that were applied to the figure to elicit its protective powers. Hand-carved from wood, the figure assumes a traditional reversed “y” shape, minimally articulated save for its pursed lips and pointed chin. We love the austere beauty of its sculptural form as well as the intimate connection between body and spirit that it represents.