Gazing upon this sculpture we are peering into a vast library full of volumes detailing the history and legends of the Oron people. While it appears to be just a beautiful work of art to us, to the properly trained tribal historian, this sculpture was a mnemonic device. It is baffling for us to consider that the great epic poetry of the ancient world was once only known through memory. Homer had no book to read from, the legend of Odysseus was engrained inside his head. Before the advent of writing, all stories and legends were recited from memory. This remained true throughout much of Sub-Saharan Africa up until European colonials created native writing systems to record the rich historical and mythical wealth of various tribes in the last few centuries. Otherwise, this wealth of knowledge and folklore remained the possession of the tribal historian. In order to assist the memory of the historian of the Oron tribe, and perhaps to illustrate tales of famed ancestors, this sculpture, called an Ekpu, was carved. Not only does this sculpture commemorate a deceased ancestor and serve as a medium of communication with the spiritual world, but it also can be “read” by the village historian who recognizes certain features of the works and associates them with the history of the tribe. Thus the great knowledge and history of the Oron tribe has been “recorded” in this wooden sculpture. Perhaps the most striking feature of this work is the man’s elongated beard stretching down to his hand resting above his belly. Clearly this feature, a hallmark of Oron sculpture, must have signified an important historical event or illustrated a myth or proverb. While we are fascinated by the beauty and artistry of the work, there is a far greater tribal significance to this piece. Imagine, this sculpture, carved from a single piece of wood, contains the history of an entire tribe. This sculpture is a library, so let us gather round with open ears and listen to the tales and life lessons he has to tell.