Ilé orí (house of the head) shrine,

20th century

The worship of the head is central to Yorùbá cosmology. Ilé orí (house of the head) like this one encased an ìbọrí shrine dedicated to the inner, spiritual component of the shrine-owner’s head. Historically, cowrie shells like those that encrust this structure were traded as currency in Africa. They are also used in communications between the human and the divine among practitioners of Ifá divination. An ilé orí protected the individual spiritually, and economically, through the accumulation of beads and cowries. Upon the owner’s death, the ilé orí was traditionally dismantled, its cowries redistributed among relatives and returned to circulation as currency. Because this ilé orí is intact, the owner probably converted to another religion before his death.