The Urhobo tribe, who live in southern Nigeria south of the city of Benin, have strong artistic connections with their neighbors, the Bini, Igbo, and Ijo. They are estimated to number roughly half a million and speak an Edo language similar to that of the neighboring Isoko tribe. The Urhobo share the same fascination of other Delta peoples with the watery environment of the region. Artistically, they distinguish between figures of spiritual beings and those of named ancestors and have clearly defined styles for each. Figures dedicated to specific ancestors, known as “eshe,” who played a prominent role in founding a lineage, village, or clan traditionally preside over communal meeting houses. Situated in the center of the hall, an eshe sculpture provides a tangible image of leadership and a moral compass for those who gather to deliberate affairs affecting the larger community. Warriors and hunters may present the work with offerings in order to gain its protection. Conversely, the ancestors, who look out for and guard against antisocial activity, are able to inflict illnesses on those who practice sorcery or witchcraft. If they wish to recover, the wrongdoers must confess to their misdeeds before the figure of their esteemed ancestor. Eshe sculptures take a variety of forms, all of them massive. Most shrines focus attention on an isolated carving, emphasizing the power of an individual clan leader, sometimes joined by his immediate ancestors. Female figures may appear as secondary sculptures in male-centered shrines focusing on military prowess or as primary figures in female-centered shrines focusing on procreation. A nursing mother often represents the “wife” of a male spirit.
Originally, this pair of monumental figures would have been placed within a shrine, either as freestanding idols or as supports for the building structure. Their high-ranking status within Urhobo society can be ascertained not only from their tremendous stature but also from the elegant jewelry that decorates their body. Much as medals signify the rank of a military leader, jewelry and bodily scarification was reflective of your place within the tribal hierarchy of many African peoples. The thick ivory bracelets and anklets that adorn both figures reveal their nobility. The male wears a prominent medicine gourd on his chest, demonstrating his possession of powerful, herbal medicines that guarantee his invincibility in battle. Their elite status is further enforced by the scarifications present at the join of their ears and by the fact that they are sitting on stools, the penultimate symbol of rank in Africa. This eshe pair represents a benevolent royal couple memorialized in the form of these painted wooden statues so that they might continue to rule and affect the lives of their ancestors from beyond the grave. The fantastically exaggerated breasts of the female figure reveal her fertile nature while her head is topped by a crownlike headdress that gives her a regal air. She suckles the young child in her lap, as her spirit will continue to nurture the villagers even after her physical death. Meanwhile, the sex of the male figure is also amply depicted as he holds a tubular shaped object in his hand. Perhaps a staff of some kind, this object no doubt is a tangible manifestation of his authority much like a baton de commandment. The colorful paint applied to the sculptures reveals the respect and admiration that the villagers paid this royal couple. These massive sculptures tower over us like spiritual guardians guiding our course through life.