Igbo Mask

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African mask: There are eight million or so Igbo who occupy the thick forest and marshland in Nigeria on both sides of the Niger River. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries many were forced into slavery and formed a formable amount of the slave trade to parts of the New World. In the nineteenth century they became major providers of palm oil and almonds and accepted the name “Igbo” from the Yoruba people which means “people of the bush.” The Igbo managed to retain their language, social organization and beliefs. The Igbo believe in one creator, Chi and numerous invisible spirits and the founding ancestor, Ale the earth goddess. The Igbo use thousands of masks for cult concerns, initiations, funerals, agrarian festivities and entertainment. This mask represents a beautiful woman. The long vertical tribal beauty mark that runs down the center of her forehead indicates that she is from the north. The elaborate hairdo is one of a variety of hair styles practiced by young Igbo women. On special occasions such as weddings or the birth of a first born they would take their hair and mold it outwards holding it together with clay or charcoal and oil and form long twisting curving horns. Hair pins, combs and bells served as ornamentation. When a woman exhibited such a style it showed that her family was wealthy and could afford for her to take off from work. Normally, a woman would wear her hair close cropped or in small bundles thus allowing her to carry large loads upon her head. This facial mask has modest coloration and has many typical signs of use such as the worn edges along the facial cover from which the adjoining costume was attached. This is an excellent example of northern Igbo work.

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Dimensions: 21 1/2 inches long x 7 1/2 inches wide 11 inches deep.

Wt: 7 lbs. shipping

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