A YORUBA COWRIE-SHELL 'HOUSE OF THE HEAD' AND FIVE AFRICAN COILWORK BASKETS

The ile ori or 'house of the head' is made to contain the ibori, a small conical leather pouch sewn with cowrie shells which symbolizes a person's 'inner head'. According to Hans Witte (1994) this 'inner head' presides over a person's destiny and acts and his ambassador to the other world and is therefore an object of much personal devotion and sacrifice.