Hunter

Artist

Lamidi Fakeye (Nigerian, 1928 – 2009)

Date

1987

Medium

Oroo mahagony

Dimensions

Work : 14 x 3 5/8 x 2 3/4 in. (35.56 x 9.21 x 6.99 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Bruce Haight

Object Number

2017.60.8

Label

Lamidi Fakeye was a Yoruba, one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa with significant diaspora populations in North and South America and in the Caribbean. Born into a family of wood-carvers, Fakeye was trained through the traditional apprenticeship system and developed a repertoire that included subjects derived from Yoruba culture and other cultures. This sculpture depicts a hunter holding a rifle and an animal he has killed. Sculptures like this were used in traditional Yoruba funeral rituals to help the spirit of a deceased person proceed into the afterlife.