Female figure from an obu (house of images)

Inside the Obu 

An obu (house of images) is a civic center of jurisprudence and ancestral veneration within which a council of elders deliberates. The interiors and exteriors of these structures inspire reflection through extensive programs of imposing sculptures portraying larger-than-life cultural ideals: the conquering hero, the foreigner, the nurturing mother. Most impressive among these are the architectural pillars created for obu in Abiriba and Ohafia. Visible along this female figure’s spine are vestiges of the architectural element that once anchored her within such a structure.