Nigeria  (Lower Niger Bronze Industry)

Yoruba

Copper alloy
ca. Late 19th / Early 20th Century

Height: 6 inches include the loop
Idiophone – Struck Directly – Bell

Ijebu bells are worn by the chief’s son, hung over the right shoulder to their left hip. The protruding, slanted eyes, crescent shaped forehead scarifications and the use of copper alloy suggest an association with the Oshugbo society that is strong in Ijebu.   Ijebu (also known as Jebu or Geebu) was a Yoruba kingdom in pre-colonial Nigeria, formed around the fifteenth century, now located in southwestern Nigeria.  Today, Oshugbo is an organization that supports and enforces social order, their authority validated by the founding ancestors of the community.