Special palace altars honor the Oba's ancestors Each new oba commissions royal artists to create objects for an altar to honor his deceased father. One of the Oba's duties is to make regular offerings at the altars of his ancestors. In times of celebration or crisis, the Oba offers thanks or calls on his ancestors for guidance, help or blessings. Like many Africans, the Edo believe that ancestors continue to be concerned with the well-being of their descendants. Because the Oba's ancestors are considered the ancestors of his entire nation, fulfilling his responsibility to them is one way he cares for the Edo people. Altars are adorned with sacred objects Pairs of bronze heads always appear on the Oba's altar. Memorial heads symbolize the Edo belief that the head directs a successful life. No memorial head is a portrait of a particular individual. Instead, each head represents the power of all the past obas. All Edo people make altars to their ancestors, but only the Oba's altar bears brass or bronze heads. Because brass neither rusts nor rots, it symbolizes the enduring nature of the Oba's power. Bronze Bells Benin City, Nigeria