A visit to Enugu without a stopover at the National Museum
of Unity is like devouring a meal that lacks the taste of salt. To have a
memorable visit to Enugu and to fully understand the cultural settings of the
South-eastern Nigeria, it is important a visitor takes a tour round the museum
so as to immerse himself into the cultural history of the Igbo people. A visit
to the Museum will open your eyes to the cultural diversity of this
multi-ethnic country, Nigeria.
The landmark for identifying the location is along the
Abakaliki road just opposite Autostar Transport and Logistics Ltd, after Ogui
junction if you’re coming from the Akanu Ibiam Airport, Enugu. The Museum is rich with so many art
collections and artifacts from various parts of the country- the Nok art works,
the Benin Carving, Ile-Ife art collections, etc are among the art works you
will find in the museum.
However, one of the sections that enjoy significant
prominence is the Igbo worldview section which houses the collections of
various Igbo art works. One of such art works of paramount important to the
Igbo Society is the Ikenga Sculpture.
Among the Igbos is a tradition
of creating what is known as an Ikenga. Ikenga are caved wooden figures that
have face with animal attributes. They can be small, a couple inches. They can
as well be very abstract, sometimes it’s more naturalistic. Some Ikenga are
likely made for a warrior, sitting on a stool which signifies honour. He holds
in his right hand, as all of Ikenga do, a sword which is an expression of
power. But in his left hand, he may seems to hold a trophy of human head, which
also could be an expression of his warrior status.
The Ikenga are personal
objects that suggest the achievement of their owners, and they could relate to
that person’s occupation, whether they were a hunter, a farmer, a warrior, etc.
They could even have a transport mogul, a classical scholar, a renowned legal
practitioner, etc. Once an Ikenga had been made by a master carver and
consecrated with the blood of a fowl, it would enter into a shrine within the
owner’s home. The Ikenga is known as the place of strength. It is a personal
spirit of ones human achievements, ones ability, and it holds items that help
the owner gets things done. The power of the right hand is always stressed. The
right hand holds a sword, the ability to cut through things, to get to what one
wishes in life. The left hand can hold a whole lot of things including an
elephant tusk, in form of a trumpet, to despict the musical prowess of the
owner; a human head, to express the warrior status; an animal head, to accent
the hunting expeditions of the owner, or even a staff to tell ones social
status in the society.
Some Ikenga may also have a
symbol of ram’s horns. A ram is known with his ability to fight with his head.
This depict that every human action is first taken with the head, which
emphasize the power, aggression and strenght of a man.
Some Ikenga may have a lot of
detailing on the sides, like pod-shaped forms with dots and lines impressed
into them, which seems to reflect what the figure has on the sides of the head.
Also, there could be decorative patterns that have been cut into some of the
Ikenga’s body which are likely the representation of scarification of body
decoration. Typically, scarification found on the temple and also on the
forehead suggested that the owner was a title holder of an Igbo society. Ikenga
is also a sacred diploma, something that
you would hang in your office to remember the status that you have reached
through hard work, discipline, and mastery of a craft or skill
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