Ikenga figures among the north-west Igbo and the Igala.

Gutes Exemplar; Umschlag stw. berieben u. leicht beschabt u. mit kl. L�ren; innen gut. - Englisch. - Aus der Bibliothek von Dr. H. J. Kolo�/ V�lkerkunde-Museum Berlin. - Die Igbo, veraltet Ibo, sind eine afrikanische Ethnie von �ber 30 Millionen Menschen in Nigeria, die vor allem im von Savanne unterbrochenen tropischen Regenwald �stlich des Niger-Unterlaufs lebt. . / Igala ist eine yoruboide Sprache der Volta-Niger-Sprachgruppe, welche von der Volksgruppe der Igala in Nigeria gesprochen wird. Im Jahre 1989 sprachen gesch�te 800.000 Einwohner des Landes Igala, haupts�lich in den Bundesstaaten Kogi, Delta und Edo. . (wiki) // Ikenga are wooden, horned, images, created by Igbo carvers in Nigeria. They are invoked to bring success to men in their activities, such as farming, trading, hunting, or warfare. Amongst the Igala, who live to the north of the Igbo, they are called okega, and although there have been changes in their form and ritual, the images retain their striking, horned appearance. An outline is given of Igbo and Igala culture, and changes in form and symbolism of the horned carvings are related to the differences between the egalitarian and competitive Igbo and the hierarchical and centralised society of the Igala. Previous accounts of ikenga have failed to discover the difference between figures' made from soft wood, and those carved from hard wood, such as the African oak iroko. Soft wood, smooth plane, ikenga are often embellished with elaborate tableaux and painted figures. They belong to the sphere of young men's activities, whilst their counterparts in hard wood were traditionally obtained in connection with title-taking. In highlighting these aspects of ikenga the present study is breaking new ground. It also departs from previous convention in relating these images to other carvings, used in family cults, such as ancestor symbols and symbols of authority. Here, for the first time, ikenga are seen to stand for the attainment and qualities of the individual, contrasting the scope of individual effort with that of endowment from the past. . (Verlagstext) // INHALT : Acknowledgements ----- 1. The Igbo and the Igala ----- 2. Ikenga among the Nri-Awka Igbo ----- 3. Igala Okega ----- 4. The Meaning of Ikenga. ISBN 090578801X