Sakpata Fon, Abomey region, Benin - Lot 122

Lot n° 122
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Estimation :
500 - 600 EUR
Sakpata Fon, Abomey region, Benin - Lot 122
Sakpata Fon, Abomey region, Benin 20th century Calabash, terracotta, iron, fabric, dried fruits, shells and cowries H. 25 cm; D. 32 cm Provenance : Collected by Ann and Luc Huysveld in situ in the 1990s Among the Fon people of Benin, Sakpata is a deity still celebrated today. Various attributes are attributed to him in recognition of his importance and popularity. "Among the Fons, Sakpata is identified with the earth. He is the master of the earth. Earth is the source of life. But it can also be the source of death (...) He is the most feared divinity among the Fons. ( Paulin Hounsounon-Tolin, Education et décolonisation culturelle de l'Afrique. Éléments de situations de comparaison entre les Romains de l'Antiquité et les Fons du Bénin, Yaoundé, Éditions CLÉ, 2019, pp.160-161) This terror inspired by the divinity is such that everyone refrains from pronouncing his name out of referential fear, substituting various periphrases instead: "He is referred to as Mè (his majesty), Axossou (chief or king), Ayixossou (chief or king of the land) (...), Dokoun-non (richest)". According to Father Saulnier, Professor Amouzouvi, the fear it inspires in people's minds is due to the fact that: "Sakpata is the god of wealth, but a god who does not forgive deviations, and it is the fact that the manifestation of his punishment - marked by skin eruptions - is harsh that makes it wrongly said that he is the god of smallpox". (Pierre Saulnier, Le Vodun Sakpata. Divinité de la terre, Lyon, Éditions de la Société des Missions Africaines, 2002, p.17). This headdress, richly adorned with vegetal and animal fillings, was typical of Voodoo, and its imposing presence made it stand out during rituals.
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