Bocio
1 of 5
Object Label
Bochio are very powerful and very personal objects. An individual may make one for protection, to harm an enemy, or to ensure personal success. The bochio is made in secret, so that only the owner knows its composition and purpose. Some materials, however, have consistent functions. This piece, for instance, includes a duck's bill, believed to contain the power to silence one's enemies. Using the long, pointed iron base, the individual plants the bochio in the ground in front of a shrine or in some other spiritually significant location.
Caption
Fon. Bocio, 19th century. Wood, iron, duck’s bill, human jawbone, fiber, organic matter, 15 x 3 x 3 1/2 in. (38.1 x 7.6 x 8.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 49.45. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.49.45_print_threequarter_bw.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Bocio
Date
19th century
Geography
Place made: Benin
Medium
Wood, iron, duck’s bill, human jawbone, fiber, organic matter
Classification
Dimensions
15 x 3 x 3 1/2 in. (38.1 x 7.6 x 8.9 cm)
Credit Line
Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund
Accession Number
49.45
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
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