ملف:IsokoFigures.jpg

English: Figure, Southern Isoko peoples, Nigeria, Early to mid-20th century, Wood

For the Isoko peoples, one type of personal shrine is the ivri. It is thought to refer to a protective deity as well as to the idea of personal determination. The figures explicitly merge human and animal traits with the human image controlling an open-mouthed beast. The teeth and horns on these figures are sharp, bared and exaggerated in keeping with their role as protective, aggressive combatants for their owners. The stylistic similarity of these two works suggests that they were carved by the same hand or workshop.

(National Museum of African Art)