Ife National Museum
The Ife National Museum is a museum located in Osun State, Nigeria. The museum exhibits objects from ancient Ife, some of these objects are made of terracotta or bronze. The museum is administered by the National Commission for Museums and Monuments of Nigeria.
Also recorded as National Museum, Ile-Ife
Ife National Museum
Wikimedia Nigeria · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Ife National Museum
- Founded
- 1954
- Headquarters
- Nigeria
- Part of
- National Commission for Museums and Monuments
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Documentary summary
The Ife National Museum is a museum located in Osun State, Nigeria. The museum exhibits objects from ancient Ife, some of these objects are made of terracotta or bronze. The museum is administered by the National Commission for Museums and Monuments of Nigeria.
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wikidata · Q110818482 · wikipedia · Ife National Museum
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Ife National Museum • Location — Near to Ooni's Palace, Enuwa Area, Central Ile-Ife, Nigeria • Type — Ethnographic and Archeological Museum
History
History
The museum is in a circular building of colonial architecture that was built in 1948. The museum was opened to the public in 1954. Some of the museum's artifacts were stolen between April 1993 and November 1994. Among the objects that were stolen from the museum were three terracotta heads, which were recovered in France and returned to Nigeria in 1996. In 1938, a carved portrait heads were found, these were created by the Yoruba people, most of these artifacts were exhibited in the museum, although some were taken out of Nigeria, this caused the Nigerian government to impose a stricter control with respect to the antiquities.
Identity
Identity
Ife National Museum is associated with Nigeria. Recorded from 1954.
Institutional history
Dated record
Institutional history
The full dated record · 2 entries
1954
Ife National Museum established.
1954
Ife National Museum is recorded from 1954.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- Nigeria
Collections
The museum contains archaeological collections, such as metal objects and human remains. The museum also contains ethnographic objects such as traditional clothing and leather bags. The museum contains stone sculptures and terracotta heads. Parts of the museum's sculptures date back to the 13th century. The museum contains a collection of brass heads from Ife, which were unearthed in 1938. The museum has juju items, spiritual belief system incorporating objects used in West Africa. The museum contains Gẹlẹdẹ masks, these were found during 1954, around Ife. Among the artifacts that the museum has are traditional objects used by the Yoruba people in daily life, such as cushions called Timutimus, native fans called Abebes, scabbards called Ako, earthenware pots, knives, shoes, in addition to native medicine belts. (Igbadi). Some of the heads made of wood and bronze have their mouths gagged, according to the ethnographer, Mathew Ogunmola, this would represent the slaves who were killed in different sanctuaries.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Anderson, Carlyn Dawn. Nigeria, a Country Study. Department of the Army. 1979.
- 2.Museums. National Commission for Museums and Monuments. 2021-02-25.
- 3.Williams, Lizzie. Nigeria. Bradt Travel Guides. 2012. 978-1-84162-397-9.
- 4.Ogunjobi, Rotimi. Perspectives of Yorubaland. Xceedia - Tee publishing. 2010-07-20. 978-978-49837-1-6.
- 5.Phillips, Barnaby. Loot: Britain and the Benin Bronzes. Simon and Schuster. 2021-04-01. 978-1-78607-936-7.
- 6.Current Events. African Arts. 33. 4. 84–89. 2000. 0001-9933.
- 7.Stoilas, Helen. The Met will return three African art objects to Nigeria. CNN.
- 8.Omisore, Emmanuel Olufemi. Maintenance survey of cultural properties in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Journal of Building Appraisal. 4. 255–268. 2009-03-01. 1744-9545.
- 9.Hudson, Kenneth. Directory of Museums. Springer. 1975-06-18. 978-1-349-01488-0.
- 10.Adeleke, Kazeem. Nigeria: Archaeology: Changing The Society With Style. AllAfrica. 2001-02-18.
- 11.Adebisi, Ademakinwa. Ancient Arts and the heterogeneous Linkage to Contemporary Aesthetics. Simon Fraser University.
References
Citations
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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