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(FETISH.) Hand-wrought iron fetish used to protect oneself from slavers, a miniature version of "Middle Passage shackles," 3x1 inches; with 3 small
(FETISH.) Hand-wrought iron fetish used to protect oneself from slavers, a miniature version of "Middle Passage shackles," 3x1 inches; with 3 small iron attachments invoking the Yoruban deity Ogun; some rust consistent with age. West Africa, late 18th-early 19th century
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Notes: In the West African pantheon, Ogun is one of the most powerful deities: "He is strength and persistence, his is the single link chain that never breaks, he is the protector of us all." - the Yoruba definition.
The only shackles that can legitimately be referred to as "slave" shackles are those that were made in Africa, and used during the transport of slaves outward. Unless provided with a provenance, most shackles that appear for sale today are simply leg-irons used for law-enforcement in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Some shackles were obviously used in the slave trade in North America, but they were interchangeable with those used for criminals.
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February 28, 2005 12:00 AM EST
New York, NY, US
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