Iledi Ontotoo: Totems Supporting the Roof

The Iledi Ontotoo is a treasure house of amazing sculpted totems like these high posts by artists incuding Kasali Akangbe-Ogun and Rabiu Abesu. This remarkable structure is composed of three enormous roofs which rise against the sky like giant lizards, representing the forces of the earth before mankind. It is one of the most complex and sensitive architectural creations.
The centrepiece of Iledi Ontotoo are the powerfully sculpted high-posts that support the roof which symbolically protect the inner sanctum of the Shrine.
The exterior walls are elaborately sculpted in cement with “rapturously emotional scenes,” to use Susanne Wenger’s words, depicting interactions with the deities. The flow of the Osun River and the connection between earth and water are seen and felt throughout the sculpted exterior and interior of this magnificent Shine. The roofs are made from metal sheeting supported by wood struts which are covered by what is called “palm kernel”.
Beneath the sloping roof at one end of the Shrine is a sculpture of the unique greeting gesture of the Ogboni Society members. Arms are extended in the unique greeting gesture of the Ogboni Society members, placing the left (feminine) fist on top of the right (masculine) fist, with the thumbs concealed. They salute each other and the Earth by bringing their clenched fists together three times, with the left uppermost and the thumb concealed in the palm of the hand. Beneath the roof at the opposite end Obatala, the God of Creation and Light, rises from the white elephant’s forehead symbolizing that divine transcendence originates from Mother Earth. The entry to the Shrine is underneath the middle roof and the door is in the shape of a giant paw print, referencing the connection of the Ogboni Society or Cult to the earth.