Ëlëkël

Wooden sculptures made and used by the Buluñits people of central coastal Guinea, in the form of a long, beaked head mounted upon a long, thin neck mounted on a spherical base; the heads may be carved in the shape of human heads or those of birds, crocodiles, horned animals, or D'mba figures. They are used primarily as shrine figures representing both the supreme god and the lineage protector; other uses include as dance headdresses and as divination objects for various rituals such as male and female initiation ceremonies, harvest and healing rituals, and judicial and funerary ceremonies.