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I would like to do some more research on this. If you could post more pictures of different angles, especialy the bottom, I might beable to get more out of it. From what I'm seeing I think it might be more south american then african. I do see the "africaness" in it, but something doesn't feel right on it. If you haven't experienced anything wrong (ebgbs are one of the bigest warning signs) then I wouldn't expect you to reburry it. After all it would make a great piece for your alter. The thing that confuses me is that turtles are more widely used in native american pieces. Some storys say that a giant turtle carries the earth on it's back.
Well I'll be able to tell you more of my opion of it when I get more pictures.

I have to say that thing DOES give me the creeps. You say it hasn't caused any harm to you or anyone else, so my thinking is that perhaps this thing was used for something negative before you guys found it. Maybe there's some residual negative energy still clinging to it that's to blame for how people are responding.

If you want to get rid of the creepy vibes, you could try smudging it (you know, burning sage incense around it, wafting the smoke onto the wood, etc), or putting blessed salt in the bowl, or flicking blessed water onto the statue to see if that might help cleanse it of the negativity. I'd suggest doing that anyway, since you never know what sorts of energies are clinging to that thing, that might one day rear their ugly heads! Haha

EDIT: I just thought of something. People used to bury items/objects at crossroads, with iron nails hammered in. The idea was that iron drives away old magick, and burying something at a crossroads kept its spirit from rising up and wandering the earth again. I think I'm beginning to agree with those who said that this might have been buried for a reason. >.> Perhaps, for safety's sake, you ought to set about cleansing this thing?

Those are both very good points. I would take it to me museum before trying to purify it. As long as you're not worried and nothing comes up.

You might find out something interesting about it. Then it would make a wonderful alter piece AND quite a conversation piece.

eek Whoa! When you figure out what the hell that thing is, let me know.
-backs away slowly-

obviously a face like that means something bad, as for the symbol i would have to do some research, a bit of visits to some freinds and such, but looking at it i can kinda get a gist of the kind of presence it gives off. it looks indeed like an offering bowl, so i fugure it must have been part of a shrine to appease or repel a sort of demonic presence or in the very least an angry spirit, im leaning towards repeling demon because of the lack of designs on the statue. the notched encourages me to think ashtry also, but that dosent mean i couldnt have been used for a higher purpose, especially since ashtray bowls go straight down often, this one curves to the cener like the inside of half a sphere.
possibly a liquid offering was to be given is what i can gather from the shape of the bowl, possibly blood because the iorn in it wards of demons and the face of the statue itself is probably meant to scare something, so possibly a demon.
if im right about some of this stuff, i would bury it back like everyone says and give it an iorn or blood (go with iorn) offering, or otherwise your freind could be in some trouble. the statue was there to scare demons or spirits off, but if its not there its not doing its job. im getting a second opinion from my followers and see what they think as well.