Ohuhu/Olokoro-Igbo Man with Ritual Headdress

A man from the Ohuhu/Olokoro-Igbo community sits in his compound, holding an ogbom headdress. The skillfully carved wooden headdress showcases a seated figure(female) on a stool made from wood, carrying a round tray with a sculpted head on top of the figure. The figure has a round face that is also angular in appearance, marked by a high forehead and noticeable keloid scars on the sides and centre of her temples. Her eyes are slit-shaped, with an extended nose and mouth. Her upper torso shows full breasts and arms raised, bent at the elbows, adorned with coiled rings at the wrists. The tray she holds bears a stylised head, showing similar keloid markings and facial features. Her seated form is decorated with rings at the ankles, and the entire sculpture is supported by a tubular basketwork frame at its base.

The written record

Historical context