Male ancestor figure "kpin sebla"

wood, encrusted sacrificial patina, base

It was not until the 1990s that these "phallic" Dagari sculptures, abstracted into an inverted "Y", became known to wider circles.

The Dagari are relatives of the Lobi, who live in the southwest of Burkina Faso and the northwest of Ghana.

Each of these figures represents a deceased family member. They are placed on family altars and at shrines and serve the ancestor cult. They are sacrificed with millet beer, millet porridge or the blood of sacrificial animals.