Idoma, Nigeria

Headdress of a Spirit. The 500,000 to 1,000,000 Idoma people living on the banks of the Niger and Benue Rivers are predominantly farmers and traders. They have a long market tradition among neighboring ethnic groups. The resurrection of the dead is an important element of their religion, and the cult of the spirits of the nature is celebrated through the mediation of masks and figures preserved in shrines. The masquerading tradition presumably emerged from the dances once performed by warriors returning home from battle. Today they participate primarily at funeral ceremonies, and always in male-female pairs.

Material:  wood

Size:  H. 26 ½”, W. 12”, D. 12”

Price: $205 + $35 (S&H)                [#D5I9M413]