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One Eyed Power Figure
wood, pigment
early 20th century
Fon people
Benin, Africa

#handmade #carved #painted #wood #oneeyed #powerfigure #fetish #early20thcentury #fonpeople #benin #africa #africanart #tribalart #tribalsculpture #religion #ritual #magic #protection #spirits #africansculpture
This remarkable standing statue, carved from a single piece of light wood, shows a figure, not only with one eye, but also one breast, one ear, and one lip (the lower but not the upper). Each hand has just two fingers and a thumb. Additionally, a red snake is shown wrapped around its upper head, consistent with the Fon belief in snake spirits. The figure seems to be a fetish figure based on a deformed infant. The Fon people are the largest ethnic group in Benin Republic. Their traditional belief system is called Vodoun. Voduns themselves are spirits. The belief system allows for a single divine creator being, but below this is an uncountable number of spirits who govern different aspects of nature and society. Some are associated with particular cities, others with specific families. One group of these spirits are snake or serpent sprits. One such snake spirit foe example, known as Sakpatá, is the spirit of smallpox.
April 24, 2026 at 4:44 PM