The Dagari are a subgroup of the Lobi people of Burkina Faso.
Dagari figures are the most abstract of Lobi figures. They are the enigmatic, protective sculptures. These typical, ‘phallic’ ancestor figures of the Dagari, are abstracted into a reversed ‘Y’.
The figures were placed on family altars in the thilda, a small room in each dwelling. Each figure was not a representation but an actual spirit, or tibil thil. It protected the family and home from illness and other misfortunes. The spirit could also be used for divination; it could demand offerings and additions of other figures. The accumulation of statues on a family altar gave social status and were passed on from father to son.
The Dagari are also called Dagari-Lobi or Dagara.
Height: 28 ¼" x Width: 12 ¾" x Depth: 4" (No base).
