The Lobi belong to an ethnic group that originated in what is today Ghana. Starting around 1770, many Lobi peoples migrated into southern Burkina Faso and later into Côte d'Ivoire. The group consists of a little over a 1,000,000 people. They make up about 2.4 percent of the Burkina Faso population. The exact percentage of Lobis in Ghana and Ivory Coast is hard to quantify since they are often counted as part of larger groups like the Mole-Dagon of Ghana. Estimates however point to around 250,000 Lobis in both of these countries.[1] [The Lobi people speak two main languages, which are the Miiwo and Birifor. Miiwo is widely spoken in Burkina Faso and Cote d'Ivoire while a majority of Lobis in Ghana speak Birifor. Oftentimes, people use the language Birifor interchangeably with Lobi, especially in Ghana. Lobi altar vessels, particularly those with spiky decorations, hold significance in Lobi culture as sacred containers for medicines, spirits, and water. They are used on altars dedicated to protective spirits (thil) and are believed to provide protection against misfortune, illness, and witchcraft. The spikes symbolize both protection and the hope for fertility.

Altar Vessel
terracotta
1900-1925 CE
Lobi people
Burkina Faso
Northern Africa and the Sahel

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