September 25, 2020
Sokoto Tribal King Sculpture, Nigeria
Sokoto Tribal Somba Sculpture, Nigeria
Spotlight:

FACES OF AFRICA
A Mystical View of Tribal Heritage
Sokoto Tribal Avatar &
Matrimonial Ritual

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Photographs by Alberto Acosta
Sokoto Tribal King Sculpture, Nigeria
The Sokoto Empire developed as a result of the Fulani jihads (holy wars) which took place in the first decade of the 19th Century across what is now Northern Nigeria. Predominantly Muslim in faith, Sokoto is a city located near the confluence of the Sokoto and Rima Rivers and the seat of the caliphate.
Sultans ruled over one of the largest empires in Africa during the early 19th Century. The caliphate was the center of politics, religion and economics in the region until it fell to French and British colonial armies in the early 20th century.
This sculptural manifestation or avatar of the sultan traveled to remote villages to officiate over rituals and sacred festivities when, he, himself was not available to attend in person.
Sokoto Tribal Somba Sculpture, Nigeria
Unlike the overall abstractions of most African mask making, the faces of Sokoto figures are more natural and often seem to be portraits of actual people, as opposed to idealized images.
This realistic sculpture of a Somba maiden depicts her during a rite of passage ritual where she is presented to eligible tribesmen in the spirit of an antelope. Upon releasing her into the wilderness, the tribesmen are invited to chase, track and hunt the maiden, symbolically killing her with a spear. Upon capture, she is returned to the village unharmed and, if encouraged, enters into the state of matrimony. 
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