Opon igede divination container

This kind of container is associated with Ifa divination and is used by the diviner (babalawo) to store his implements. The faces that decorate the base and lid represent Eshu/Elegba, the messenger that connects the human world to the spirit realm. He is a trickster god who likes to mix up opposites, causing havoc, but also making change possible. His counterpart is Ifa/Orunmila, the god of clairvoyance and order. While Eshu unmasks evil, Ifa shows the way to what is right, so that men may know their destiny.