A wood sculpture - Yoruba - Nigeria

A Yoruba bowlkeeper collected in Oyo region, Nigeria, kneeling on a base with two small figures on either side, carrying a vessel with several carvings on her head. Some chipping on the rim of the bowl; some signs of use and age.

The Yoruba Bowlkeeper: Symbolism, Function, and Artistic Significance

The Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria have produced one of the most sophisticated and symbolically rich artistic traditions in sub-Saharan Africa. Among the most striking examples are the ritual sculptures referred to as “bowlkeepers,” or bowl-bearing figures, which serve both aesthetic and ritual functions. These sculptures, often carved from wood, depict a human or spiritual figure—typically female—bearing a bowl used for religious or ceremonial purposes.

The term “bowlkeeper” in this context refers not to a literal guardian but to a carved figure integrated into the vessel that conveys symbolic and spiritual connotations. Such objects are most frequently associated with rituals of offering, divination, and healing, central to Yoruba religious practice. One of the most commonly depicted figures is that of a kneeling woman holding a bowl in front of her or balanced on her head. These figures are thought to represent idealized qualities such as fertility, service, and moral integrity.

In Yoruba cosmology, orishas—deified ancestors and spiritual entities—are intermediaries between humans and the supreme deity, Olodumare. Offerings are presented to the orishas in bowls, which are often housed in or presented with anthropomorphic containers. The bowlkeeper, therefore, becomes a symbolic mediator of divine-human interaction, embodying both reverence and aesthetic devotion. The emphasis on the female form in these sculptures aligns with Yoruba cultural values that associate women with nurturing, wisdom, and ritual mediation.

One key orisha associated with bowlbearing sculptures is Èṣù (Eshu), the trickster deity and divine messenger. In Eshu-related iconography, the bowl may contain cowrie shells, kola nuts, or other ritual implements. These items are used in Ifá divination, where the bowl serves as a container for tools needed by the babaláwo, or diviner-priest. In this setting, the bowlkeeper is more than decoration: it is an essential component of the divination apparatus, enhancing the ritual efficacy through its symbolism and presence.

Artistically, Yoruba bowlkeepers exemplify the region’s classical sculptural principles: clarity of form, symmetry, and hieratic scale. Many include scarification patterns, elaborate hairstyles, and beaded adornments, which reflect not only status but also a connection to the spiritual realm. As noted by Suzanne Preston Blier, such sculptures are “active agents” in Yoruba religious life, simultaneously communicating spiritual messages and reaffirming social roles.

Today, Yoruba bowlkeepers are prominently featured in ethnographic and art museums, such as the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. These artifacts not only reflect African spiritual life but also challenge Western distinctions between art and ritual object, demanding recognition of their multivalent functions as both sacred tools and aesthetic expressions.


Drewal, Henry John. African Artistry: Technique and Aesthetics in Yoruba Sculpture. New York: Interlink Books, 1980.
²Lawal, Babatunde. “Yoruba Sango Sculpture: Exegesis and Aesthetics.” African Arts, vol. 28, no. 1, 1995, pp. 50–96.
Abimbola, Wande. Ifá: An Exposition of Ifá Literary Corpus. Ibadan: Oxford University Press, 1976.
Willett, Frank. Ifẹ̀ in the History of West African Sculpture. London: Thames & Hudson, 1967.
Blier, Suzanne Preston. African Vodun: Art, Psychology, and Power. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995.

CAB28360