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for Ochai
Ochai
1910 - 1950
he was a fulltime sculptor and had commissions from many villages beyond his own. His
pieces in the exhibition with whitened faces, frequently a feature of masks and figures of
the region reveal the influence of neighboring groups, especially the Igbo peoples
of southeastern Nigeria. The faces display lines of small incisions along the sides of the face
and down the center of the forehead that emulate patterns of facial scarification. Ochai’s
works display a characteristically bold, expressive carving style.
Also living in Otobi was Oba who may have been mentored by Ochai. This would not have
been typical, however, since no formal apprenticeship system existed among Idoma carvers.
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