Osato Adeniyi

Ancestor’s Veneration

“Black Wall Street” is a reflection on the resilience, brilliance, and untapped potential of Black and African communities. Loosely inspired by the historic Tulsa, Oklahoma community—once a thriving center of Black enterprise and culture before its destruction in the 1921 massacre—this work grapples with the duality of what was and what could have been.Through this series, I imagine a world where Black and African communities were allowed to flourish without interruption—free from the weight of systemic violence, colonial disruption, and economic suppression. It is both a celebration and a mourning: a tribute to cultural strength, self-determination, and innovation, juxtaposed with the grief of loss—of lives, legacies, and futures stolen.This work seeks to honor that history, reclaim the narrative, and hold space for both collective memory and creative reimagining.

“7. Ancestors’ Veneration
In parts of West Africa, skulls were believed to hold the soul. Families honored ancestors by decorating and displaying their skulls as a form of protection and reverence. Many of these sacred remains were taken during colonization, and efforts to reclaim them continue today.”