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What did carved ivory altar tusks symbolize in the kingdom of Benin?

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Inupiat shaman's figure. — ivory carving Kinugumiut Inupiat incised walrus ivory shaman's figure, c. 1890; in the National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center, Smithsonian Institution, New York City.

In the kingdom of Benin, carved ivory altar tusks were highly prized objects that held significant symbolic meaning. They were placed atop brass altar heads on ancestral altars dedicated to a predecessor.12

The tusks served as powerful symbols of the elephant, representing its strength and wisdom, while their white color was associated with purity. Beyond these qualities, the tusks functioned as historical records; ivory carvers used them to depict events from the reign of the specific oba (king) being commemorated. These narratives were organized into registers that were intended to be read from the bottom to the top.2

Like other art forms in the kingdom, the carvings relied on established motifs and hierarchical scale to identify figures and emphasize the importance of the oba and his regalia.2