Finding Bocio Figures

Most of these bocio statues were left bare in the bottom, as is the case with our figurine; some were even sharpened (see figure 4). This is because bocio statues were usually planted or hammered into the ground in certain important areas on which the health and wellbeing of the individual owning the statue depended. Such areas included entrances to homes, spots near ancestral shrines, and agricultural fields. In some instances even a little shelter was built from palm leaves to protect the figurine.“Bocio (Protective Figure),” ÌMỌ̀ DÁRA, accessed August 18, 2021, https://www.imodara.com/discover/benin-fon-bocio-protective-figure-kpodohonme-peg-bocio/.

Let us now dive deeper into the practices and rituals that were used to empower this bocio figurine with divine power and protective spirits.