Idoma, Nigeria

Okua ceremonial mask.  The Idoma numbering over 500,000 settled to the east of the confluence of the Benue and the Niger. As farmers, they have a long market tradition among neighboring ethnic groups. The cult of the spirits of the nature (anjenu) is celebrated through the mediation of masks and figures preserved in shrines. Generally benevolent, an anjenu favors commercial transactions, helps to cure illness and, above all, aids female fertility. The masked ancestors do not represent a masquerade in the theatrical sense of the word; they really are spirits that have come back among the mortals. Face masks are generally found among the southern Idoma people. They are worn by dancers during funerals. This mask has the typical for Idoma traits: a hairline formed by three arcs, narrow slit eyes, slightly open mouth with two rows of teeth, and characteristic scarification marks running vertically at the temples, and over the middle of the forehead.

Material:  wood

Size:  H. 13 ½”,   W. 9”,  D. 5”

Price:  $ 195+$25 (S&H)          Sold   --  C. C.                          [#M4I9M932]