Yoruba
Nigeria
Coastal West Africa
Necklace (Odigba Ifa)
INV-1355
Yoruba
Nigeria
Coastal West AfricaLate 19th/early 20th century
Necklace (Odigba Ifa)
Yoruba Nigeria Coastal West Africa →yorubaArts of AfricaCoastal West Africaafrican Artjewelryarts of Africa
Date
Late 19th/early 20th century
Medium
Glass beads, cloth, and leather
Dimensions
fully extended: 113.7 × 28.3 × 3.9 cm (44 3/4 × 11 1/8 × 1 1/2 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Deborah Stokes and Jeffrey Hammer
Wearing a beaded necklace like this one likens a Yoruba diviner (babalawo) to a king; accordingly, a diviner’s necklace and a king’s crown both require ritual actions. The beaded cylinders of the chain are made of wood from a sacred tree that is said to ensure longevity and prosperity. The flat pendants protecting the diviner’s neck and chest are filled with medicines and other ingredients with similar protective powers.
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