This is a rare and powerful old wood sculpture of a Healing fetish known as a "Lagalagana" idol. Mumuye peoples, Nigeria, Africa.Mumuye Lagalagana figures were carved by village blacksmiths for use as protective talisman. The idols were kept in sacred enclosures and huts. This type of idol was used in divination ceremonies aimed at healing the sick and preventing epidemics, as well as being regarded as having rain making properties. Among the Mumuye it is uncommon but not unheard of to find figures with a single arm, as in the present example. The mark of a Mumuye carver both gifted and proficient in his idiom. The figure itself measures 16.5 inches tall on professional custom base.

Good, well handled, some decay on back leg