The Igbo occupy the plateaus of eastern Nigeria on either side of the Niger River. They accepted the name "peoples of the bush" given them by the Yoruba. The figures were not portraits; rather they were ancestral statues that belonged to the heads of the lineages. In the rest houses of the men, called m'bari, and in sanctuaries, large sculpted figures with the generic name Alusi were found.
As there was no administrative institution, the Igbo turned to the Alusi. The accused must swear on oath in the sanctuary, and the oracle made its pronouncement. If the accused lied, he or she could become ill.
It has been priced as is, as it is missing part of its left breast, has several repairs and old boreholes in the wood.
Height: 55" x Width: 12" x Depth: 11"