A Carved wooden effigy traditionally used to house mysterious stone relics found in Sierra Leone and Liberia. These small stone figures known as "Pomdo" have been discovered buried in the ground by local Kissi and Mende peoples. Little is known about the creators of these carvings, which are interpreted by their discoverers to have magical properties.According to the Kissi , they claim that the carvings represent their forefathers and call the type of stones they find "pomdo" which translates as 'the dead', and the discovery of a pomdo indicates that an ancestor spirit is communicating with his descendants: the identity of the ancestor is established by divination and then the stone carving is placed in the descendants' shrine and used for oath-taking and divination ceremonies.This Carved wooden shrine idol at one time held one of the mysterious ancient stone idols for use in ritual magic and ancestor worship. The shrine that remains shows extensive handling and wear indicating traditional use over many years. The figure measures 16 inches tall and is part of a very fascinating tradition of a tribal culture, worshiping a previous ancient tribal cultures idols, even though their age and original makers are a mystery. Provenance: The Dr Brian Healy estate, New York.

Fair, well weathered