Voodoo Culture / Important hunter's fetish / Benin - Fon people / Second half of the 20th century

Important and rare fetish of the Fon hunter.
It represents a man and his son both going hunting and riding a crocodile. Thus placed under the protection of the saurian, the father can without fear initiate his son into hunting techniques and then ensure good fortune. He holds in his right hand a spear and a calabash tied to the waist. The son is placed on his back, symbolically connected to the father by cords. Magical charges present on the back as well as a large sacrificial patina indicate repeated use of the fetish.

Designating a large number of societies originating from Dahomey (now Benin), southwestern Zaire and western Nigeria, voodoo has been maintained thanks to a structured mythology and a very elaborate doctrine: first affirmation from a supernatural world, voodoo is also made up of a series of various procedures allowing one to enter into a relationship with the world beyond. At the base of worship is divination by the Fa, a prelude to any endeavor. Aiming to neutralize an adversary or to protect himself from him (voodoo then constituting an aggressive or defensive practice), it also ensures the protection of property and protects the city from great plagues. Music and dance are closely linked to worship, particularly in the possession ritual, a major characteristic of voodoo, through which communication takes place with the divinity who `` rides '' the possessed dancer and is thus embodied in him.

Material: Wood, Cowry, Iron, Cords, Calabash, Vegetable fibers, Fabrics
Without base: 36 x 29 cm
Condition: Crusty patina, right arm restored, one attribute missing
Provenance: Former private collection

Ref: CIR7IDB3PE