IKENGA is an artifact that is a powerful symbol of the Igbo people. It signifies the power and strength of the right hand. It is a wooden, horned, male antiquity that is cylindrical. Ikenga can be carved standing or seated, and some have superstructures.
According to Beatrice, Adeola Bamigbade, Principal Conservator of Museum of National Unity, Ibadan, Oyo State, the features on an Ikenga depicts the profession of its owner.
Ikenga is owned and kept by men of high reputation, hardworking, industrious, and of great integrity in society. It shows a man’s achievement, success, and victory in his chosen profession, which cut across hunting, blacksmithing, farming, fishing, and trading, just to mention a few.
The Igbo of the southeast of Nigeria are well known for their entrepreneurial skills. They are very tactical and dutiful at their entrepreneurial skill. They work hard to achieve their set goals.
They are ambitious, dedicated, and industrious. Igbos are found in every nook and cranny of the earth, an adage says, “you should make a U-turn if you visit any place that doesn’t have an Igbo resident”.
Ikenga is elaborately consecrated using yam, wine, cock, kola nut, and alligator pepper in the presence of one’s relatives or age mates before its usage. The bearer of the Ikenga feeds and induces the spirit of the Ikenga by the sacrificial blood of ram and cock, to help the bearer succeed. After each success, the bearer offers thanksgiving to the Ikenga for helping him.
An individual or the community can own Ikenga. Individual Ikenga signifies the bearer’s achievement and prestige in his chosen profession. When the bearer dies, it isn’t passed on to children rather, it is broken into two halves and thrown away.
Communal Ikenga is owned by a group of peers within a community. It signifies the achievement of that community in a joint venture they are all involved in, such as war, fishing, farming, or fishing.
Communal Ikenga shows the continuity of specific professions within a society. The motifs on the Ikenga depict the profession the community is known for. An Ikenga with a fierce expression holding a human skull and a sword depicts such a town is full of warriors. One having an animal and a sword on each hand signify they are hunters and collectively own the Ikenga in question.
Ikenga reflects the Igbo man’s dedication to work, his chosen profession, and his commitment to the society in which he lives.
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