Atiol baga altar - Figura - Guinea

This sacred object is called an a-tshol by the Baga, which translates as "medicine" and refers to any substance known to have powers of healing or protection. The humanoid forehead, ears, and nose merge into a birdlike beak. The Baga believed that such a composite creature was able to travel through water, air, and earth. Shrine pieces like this would have been in possession of the eldest male member of a family. They symbolized a family's ancestral lineage and were kept in a shrine with other objects of supernatural power.

Provenance: old american collection