Four Ife (Nigeria) Terracotta Heads
The St. Ottilien Mission Museum owns plaster copies of four terracotta heads. The original heads are held at the Berlin Ethnological Museum and were unearthed 100 years ago by the celebrated ethnologist Leo Frobenius at Ife, the holy city of the Yoruba in Southern Nigeria.
Little is know about these remarkable images. They may plausibly represent outstanding personalities or divinized rulers. The bald head may represent somebody from a neighbouring kingdom. The age of the original terracotta sculptures is unknown, too. Estimates range from the 12th to the 15th century AD.
The pedestals of the St Ottilien plasters are signed "Ife-Terrakotte der Frobenius-Expedition 1910".
Ethnologist and Africa researcher Leo Frobenius (1873-1938) saw African culture as equal to European culture, a most unusual position in his time. Frobenius' attitude to African culture matches the opinion of the founder and of all successive archabbots of St. Ottilien. Mission as an offer can only be successful if culture, religion, language and characteristics of the fellow human being are valued and understood. From this intention, the Missionsmuseum developed als a study collection for future missionaries.
