International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications

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Art in the Service of Religion: A Study of Selected Carvers of Ifa Sculptures and Objects in South-Western Nigeria

Received: 11 November 2016    Accepted: 21 April 2017    Published: 16 June 2017
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Abstract

Significant works have been done on the religious content, uniqueness and functionality of African art and objects. However, not much has been done on carvers of religious sculptures. This paper therefore provides a fresh historical account on the origin and exponents of wood carving in Oyo Southwestern Nigeria. Two prominent families of traditional religious wood carvers in Oyo were studied: the Oke family of Ebike clan and the Odekunle family. A comparative analysis of the works of the two families was carried out to determine the historical timeline, stylistic and thematic features of their cult wood carving, especially (Ifa cult) in Oyo. Findings revealed the wide margin of variation in the works of the two most prominent carver families in Oyo. Other issues bewildering the survival religious wood carving tradition and traditional art in general in the Nigeria were articulated and suggestions were proffered.

DOI 10.11648/j.ijaaa.20170304.12
Published in International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications (Volume 3, Issue 4, July 2017)
Page(s) 53-62
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Art, Ifa, Religion, Sculpture

References
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[2] Abimbola, W. (1976). Ifa: An Exposition of Ifa Literary Corpus. Ibadan. Oxford University Press.
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Author Information
  • Department of Curriculum and Teaching, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria

  • Centre for Black and African Civilization, Abuja, Nigeria

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  • APA Style

    Sanda Francis Ademola, Oladokun Taiwo Olaniyi. (2017). Art in the Service of Religion: A Study of Selected Carvers of Ifa Sculptures and Objects in South-Western Nigeria. International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications, 3(4), 53-62. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaaa.20170304.12

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    Sanda Francis Ademola; Oladokun Taiwo Olaniyi. Art in the Service of Religion: A Study of Selected Carvers of Ifa Sculptures and Objects in South-Western Nigeria. Int. J. Archit. Arts Appl. 2017, 3(4), 53-62. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaaa.20170304.12

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    AMA Style

    Sanda Francis Ademola, Oladokun Taiwo Olaniyi. Art in the Service of Religion: A Study of Selected Carvers of Ifa Sculptures and Objects in South-Western Nigeria. Int J Archit Arts Appl. 2017;3(4):53-62. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaaa.20170304.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijaaa.20170304.12,
      author = {Sanda Francis Ademola and Oladokun Taiwo Olaniyi},
      title = {Art in the Service of Religion: A Study of Selected Carvers of Ifa Sculptures and Objects in South-Western Nigeria},
      journal = {International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications},
      volume = {3},
      number = {4},
      pages = {53-62},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijaaa.20170304.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaaa.20170304.12},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijaaa.20170304.12},
      abstract = {Significant works have been done on the religious content, uniqueness and functionality of African art and objects. However, not much has been done on carvers of religious sculptures. This paper therefore provides a fresh historical account on the origin and exponents of wood carving in Oyo Southwestern Nigeria. Two prominent families of traditional religious wood carvers in Oyo were studied: the Oke family of Ebike clan and the Odekunle family. A comparative analysis of the works of the two families was carried out to determine the historical timeline, stylistic and thematic features of their cult wood carving, especially (Ifa cult) in Oyo. Findings revealed the wide margin of variation in the works of the two most prominent carver families in Oyo. Other issues bewildering the survival religious wood carving tradition and traditional art in general in the Nigeria were articulated and suggestions were proffered.},
     year = {2017}
    }
    

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    AB  - Significant works have been done on the religious content, uniqueness and functionality of African art and objects. However, not much has been done on carvers of religious sculptures. This paper therefore provides a fresh historical account on the origin and exponents of wood carving in Oyo Southwestern Nigeria. Two prominent families of traditional religious wood carvers in Oyo were studied: the Oke family of Ebike clan and the Odekunle family. A comparative analysis of the works of the two families was carried out to determine the historical timeline, stylistic and thematic features of their cult wood carving, especially (Ifa cult) in Oyo. Findings revealed the wide margin of variation in the works of the two most prominent carver families in Oyo. Other issues bewildering the survival religious wood carving tradition and traditional art in general in the Nigeria were articulated and suggestions were proffered.
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