Lobi Standing Figure

Lobi standing figures, known as bateba, were carved to serve the spirits of the household. Each figure was activated through ritual and placed on a home altar to take on specific responsibilities, whether guarding against illness, mediating with ancestors, or addressing a problem brought to the family diviner. Unlike carving traditions that work toward symmetry, Lobi carvers often responded more directly to the needs of the commission, which is why each bateba sits a little differently in its posture and weight. This piece was made in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century in what is now Burkina Faso.