Amulet - Snake

Amulet - Snake

Wrought iron, Lobi people, Burkina Faso, West Africa, 20th century, various amulets with lengths varying between 140mm - 410mm.

Symbol meaning

For the Lobi, the snake symbolizes harmony, connection and unification. In addition to the Lobi, many other African peoples consider snakes to be sacred creatures. Killing or eating them is forbidden. The creation of a snake skin is seen as a sign of rebirth. Snakes are considered the first, prehistoric animals and often appear in creation stories, myths and mythologies. Snakes were considered to act as messengers between the visible and invisible worlds. The Lobi are a people living in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Ivory Coast. The name “Lobi” comes from the Lobi language words “lou” (forest) and “bi” (child), so the word lobi literally means “children of the forest”. The Lobi’s traditional religion is strongly based on an animist worldview. The Lobi believe that the universe was created by a higher deity (tangba or thangba yu), under whom a number of different gods (singular thil, plural thila) rule. Below this are other important nature spirits, such as bush spirits (kontuossi or kontuorsi) and only after this come humans.

The Mouhoun River (also known as the Black Volta), which flows through Burkina Faso, has been of great importance to the Lobe in many ways. In Lobe mythology, it has symbolized a magical boundary separating two different dimensions, much as the ancient Greeks saw the River Styx. The Lobe believe that the dead must cross the river to return to the "other side" where their revered ancestors await. The most important initiation rites are performed on the banks of the Mouhoun River, and the fish and animals that live in the river are considered sacred.

Ritual use

Amulets depicting snakes have been used to protect against snakebites and lightning strikes, among other things. In Burkina Faso and Ghana, especially among the Lobi and Gan peoples, snakes have been a common motif in traditional art. Amulets cut and forged from iron or cast from bronze, spiral bracelets and anklets, various wooden ceremonial sculptures and currencies often depict snakes. In home and village sanctuaries, these abstract, flat and iron-forged snakes served on altars as a point of contact between the living and the dead. They were used to honor the gods of the land (thil) and to establish contact with the invisible world.

Note! The skillfully hand-forged amulets are handmade and have been used extensively, and Each amulet is unique. Therefore, colors and shapes may vary. The amulets may be dusty, patinated and may have small surface defects.