Lot: 28

Four staffs "opa osanyin"

Nigeria, Yoruba

Provenance Size Starting price / estimated price
Bruno Heimberg (1933-2023), Munich, Germany 800 EUR / 1500 EUR

iron, corroded, each on a base, three of them on stone

a) staff with fourteen witch birds, h: 46 cm
b) staff with fourteen witch birds, h: 41.5 cm
c) staff with three witch birds, h: 45.7 cm
d) small staff with eight witch birds, h: 16 cm

The Yoruba believe that the power of "Osanyin", the deity of herbal medicine, is manifest in such wrought-iron sticks, the so-called "opa osanyin". They traditionally consist of a circle of sixteen witch birds round a larger bird that symbolizes "Orunmila", the god of wisdom.

Priests and herbalists call on the help of "Osanyin" to combat illnesses and other misfortunes, which are usually caused by malevolent forces (witches).